


A Rock Star Christmas Carol

by He_Is_A_Wonderwall



Category: A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens, Harry Styles - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction, Original Work, liam payne - Fandom, niall horan - Fandom, zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: Charles Dickens - Freeform, Comfort, F/M, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Scrooge - Freeform, one direction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-08-19 20:04:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8223178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/He_Is_A_Wonderwall/pseuds/He_Is_A_Wonderwall
Summary: Based off of Charles Dickens Classic 'Scrooge' or 'A Christmas Carol' is a story with a twist. Meet Louis Tomlinson: a predecessor for Simon Cowell. He is miserable, dismal and only 34 years old. His life hasn't been easy granted that, but it's about to get a whole lot more complicated when Louis is faced with his old boss and three ghosts that won't just leave him the hell alone.However, there is a deeper purpose for the young bloke and hopefully with the help of three awkward spirits, he can discover the errors of his way and set course on a right path before it's too late.





	1. Chapter 1: Ten Years Ago

Ten Years Ago:

The England weather was ghastly. No more than usual for it being a rain wash mind you, but one that brought a melancholy emotion to an already joyless occasion.

Syco Entertainment’s founder Simon Cowell, lays dead in a simple mahogany shined casket at the head of St Paul’s Cathedral, one of the largest churches in London.

The silence of the dimly lit chapel was sound enough to hear the downpour outside clicking off the roof and windows.

Inside the Cathedral at the front by the coffin stood six souls, all with the same emotion one possibly could express at such a daunting time.

The Bishop, the priest, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and two graveyard keepers that would ultimately transport the body to its final resting place outside in the courtyard.

According to Simon’s final arrangement in the letter of his last rights, he wanted to be buried in the wealthier section of Kensal Green in a mausoleum. Unfortunately for him, his wife had depleted his net worth with her own selfish desires and in turn the plot had been neglected to be paid. That left Tomlinson as the primary benefactor and he would be damned if he was paying £1,000,000 pounds for an extravagant funeral.

So here they were; no music, no decorations and the cheapest coffin next to a pine box that could be purchased. The only thing Louis Tomlinson did for his successor, was hold the funeral in the cathedral and that was only because he had enough respect to honor one of his final requests – which also happened to be the cheapest.

He cleared his throat loudly, the sound echoing off the acoustics of the walls and vibrating back to the other five occupants.

Liam, who was positioned at the foot of Simon’s coffin turned toward his friend with a frown, wondering why he would interrupt the proceedings of the priest, but then again – no one had been saying anything to begin with as they were the only ones to show up for final respects.

The priest, who had finished the final eulogy a few moments prier, stood awkwardly at the front and overlooked the endless rows of unoccupied seats.

It was almost disheartening that the music mongrel’s wife, nor son, attended to wish him a final farewell; but then again, that’s what happens when you are despised by virtually everyone, even one’s own gold digging family.

“I’m a bit surprised, truthfully,” Louis began, his toneless utterance causing the vibrations to reiterate back to the small gathering. His cerulean eyes were as cold as ice while glancing over the wooden pews, the blinding white walls with decorated holy statues and comforting shelter of the stained glass that kept meddlesome noses from prying into the affairs of others that came to grieve.

If Louis could feel sorrow to mourn for his successor, he would. If he could feel anything but the icy water that constantly circulated in his veins, he’d gladly offer it in place of the nothingness that haunted him now.

Grief was something he had been well accustomed to for a very long time and eventually with enough anguish, even the strongest break. Louis was broken and couldn’t be bothered to carry that burden anymore – so he didn’t. He left it alone as it should have been left when it started and thus, the man that stood there was not the same one as he once ago was and if he could help it, never would be again.

“That more people weren’t here?” Liam questioned softly, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere in such a holy place.

Louis scoffed.

“No. That his wife didn’t come about to make sure he was well and truly dead. I was there when he keeled to the floor, but try telling that to the callow cow.” He finished with an eye roll.

“Heart attack was it? Poor soul.” The priest shook his head sadly and looked at the pale face in the coffin that would soon be left to rot.

Louis chuckled.

“Aneurism, actually. One moment he was overlooking the rooftops of the smaller buildings in his penthouse office on the top floor, prattling away about the next big sensation and then the next he just clutched his head, screamed and fell to the ground as dead as a doornail. By the time the emergency service team got to him, well, he was hemorrhaging out his eyes, nose and ears – horrific sight to say the least.” Louis recanted, the memory still fresh to him.

Liam’s mouth dropped open in astonishment at Louis’s blunt description and yet, he said it all with a smile and a wink.

“Louis! That is hardly being appropriate.” Liam chastised, adjusting his copper cufflink on his white undershirt, which matched perfectly with the black jacket, pants and shoes he chose for the occasion.

Louis was far less formal with a baseball cap of his favorite team, a pair of old ripped knee jeans and a Bob Marley shirt with Tom shoes.

“Sorry. I did not realize there were children under the age of five here to be concerned about. Seriously, Liam – if you’re going to chastise me for the events I did not bother to sugarcoat, then you needn’t concern yourself with showing up for work tomorrow,” Louis threatened, gesturing his hand out almost cockily before his tone took on a more indignant hum “Seeing as Simon Cowell chose me as his successor, I need an assistant to tend to my affairs and we have known one another since private school, yeah?” Louis quirked his eyebrow, finally turning to look at his old friend.

Liam gave him a disgruntled look, but merely nodded his head.

Louis concluded with the same gesture.

“Good man. Now, seeing as there isn’t much else to be done here; I must leave and attend to more important matters. Just because someone dies doesn’t mean there isn’t profit to be made for today and I must see that the things that earn profit stay at or increase value. Liam? I will see you tomorrow bright and early at five AM sharp, yes?” Louis asked rhetorically, his footsteps making muffled thuds as he bounded quickly away from Simon’s coffin and down the long row of pews to the front door.

Liam gave a sideways wave to his new employer with an almost dread of the schedule they would have, especially with Louis’s attention span and his ability to start twenty projects at the same time. Something he could not attest for with Simon.

The story was, when Louis was a young lad of sixteen if Liam recalled correctly; Simon had given Louis his own record label at the very height of his stardom to pass on opportunity and success to other young artists in what he may succeed in the time he had.

Solo artist at that time had about the same shelf life as boybands and Louis realized he needed his foot in the door before opportunity closed.

Alas, despite wanting and getting his own label not much was done with it. Tragedy had been ever present and it always struck on Christmas.

The door slammed shut bringing Liam out of his troubled thoughts with a heavy sigh.

“He sure is a peculiar sort, isn’t he?” The minister spoke, gesturing a sign of the cross towards the door.

Liam had a feeling he was doing it purely for the sake of Louis’s soul and he doubt that or the purest of holy water would be able to help save it at that point.

“He’s troubled, sir. A lot of bad memories for this time of year for him. His family, his son…” Liam murmured off with a gentle voice, almost afraid Louis would hear him and come ranting back at him for telling strangers his business.

“What of his family, what of his son?” The priest asked softly, his weary sadness ever present at the mention of the news Liam relegated to them.

Liam looked down at the floor, guilt taking over his thoughts.

This was neither time nor place for a confession on Louis’s behalf and he could not relent information so freely without his blessing and he would get one when Hell froze over if Tomlinson had any say about it.

“I’m afraid that is not my burden to tell, but I can tell you that his demons are many. I fear the worst for him if he doesn’t make peace with them or himself.” Liam finished, walking a few steps so he was at the edge of the coffin to pay his final respects.

For a moment he simply stared down at the now lifeless corpse that was their former boss.

The minister and priest stepped on either side of Liam, both taking to putting a comforting hand on each side of his shoulders.

“You know what’s so ironic?” Liam scorned, keeping his eyes unblinking. The men replied nothing, so he simply continued. “That for all the artists and bands Simon made big, not one of them showed to pay their gratitude. Not even the corporate suites whom he helped line their pockets with was enough to take them from their busy schedules.”

The priest nodded in understanding.

“Sometimes my son, the work we do for others is far more a greater burden, but we do it because we are driven with the desire to do so. Simon knew what he wanted out of life and he took it without thinking of the consequences that his actions may have. This is the result and it is by far a thankless one at that. He forged his chains in life, he must reconcile with them in death.”

Liam gave a halfhearted agreement and slowly brought the top of the coffin down with a faint thud.

“Goodbye, Mr. Cowell. May you rest in peace.” Liam said, making a sign of the cross above.

“Amen.” The rest followed with somberly.

The funeral followed quickly, the men taking Simon’s casket to a corner wall grave with a simple headstone laid neatly in front of the fresh dug up ground.

When the coffin was centered into the ground below, the thumps of dirt was the only thing that could be heard – by the living at least.

Unknown to the world above, a large ghostly safe weighing at least a ton laid right below the deceases coffin. Inside the ghostly hollow shell of the rusted supernatural metal was a soul – Simon’s soul.

His screams of agony continued to echo endlessly. Simon had been begging for days for someone to help him, but the living cannot hear the dead and would most likely not offer assistance even if they could.

He was damned to be locked in a vault that he had encased around himself decades ago while he was alive and it grew in weight and size every day after.

At that present moment, he felt the constant strain of its weight and the endless empty space of what was once his in its hollow belly. It was empty and he had nothing to show for it but a life unlived.

It was excruciating, crushing and overwhelming, but the thing Simon felt the most was the heavy chain he had forged in life sutured into his back and attached inside the safe he once held dear.

It remained that way for ten long years.


	2. Chapter 2: Ten Years Present

Christmas Eve

Ten Years Present:

 

“Liam? Have the girls made it to their destination for the video shoot?” Louis asked, his lips pursed with annoyance and his cold eyes focused on the pad of paper in front of him.

There was a long pause at the other end; which meant Liam had taken his ear away from the cellphone.

That meant no and no meant hit the decks in Liam’s experience; hence his quick reflex after the initial question.

“LIAM! WHY AREN’T MY GIRLS AT THE VIDEO SHOOT?! I PAY YOUR BUTT TO GET WORK DONE, NOT GIVE ME EXCUSES!” Louis exploded, making the young lad in the chair in front of him jump up and run towards the exit like his pants were on fire.

Louis hit a locking mechanism on his desk to lock the office door; thus, stopping the potential money making singer from running to freedom.

“Kid? Sit down, I was yelling at my assistant, not you, but that will quickly change if you don’t get the bloody hell back here.” Louis gritted, turning his agitation to his cell phone. “Liam?” He called, hearing no indication that his assistant was going to say anything.

“Liam? You have two failed marriages and alimony support out the ying-yang, mate. Now, I can garnish your wages by two hundred pounds a week for the next year and make your life a living hell fire or you can GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YUR ARSE! I pay fairly, yes? In return I expect a competent assistant, not a skiver. Now, why aren’t they there? I gave specific instru – “Louis’s rant was cut short by Liam speaking from the other end.

“Ms. Amherst had an emergency, sir. Her sitter canc – “Liam tried to excuse, but Louis didn’t buy excuses. He gave them.

“Tell Allure that she is the bread and butter of One3One and if she insists on being late, I will sue her for the advancements I gave in order for her to pay for her brat’s medical bills. If she wants to be a singer, wonderful. If she doesn’t, then she can go to the local bloody church and let them give her a handout. I deal with talents, not street trash.” Louis quipped harshly, eyeing the young sixteen-year-old boy that was sitting back in front of him looking nervous.

“I – I can’t tell her that, Lou.” Liam murmured sympathetically, knowing the medical bills were piling on faster than Allure was making – even with Louis’s contractual pay.

Louis scoffed.

“Of course you can’t. So, allow me to finish my business here and I will be down to the location as soon as possible to tell her myself.” He concluded.

“Louis – “Liam started but never got the chance as he pressed the call end button, directing a faux smile to his next victim – Jamie Trenton.

“I’ve seen your performances, Jamie. I know what sells and what goes out with the rubbish next season and you have a very prominent future ahead of you – at least for a time. Your blonde hair and blue eyes with that feminine touch will draw the ladies to you like flies. Keeping your hooks in them is quite a challenge after, because let’s face it; weaker minded sub-humans have very low attention spans. How you keep your adoring party is your responsibility.” Louis gestured about carelessly, pouring himself an amber drink into a black coffee mug.

Jamie swallowed nervously.

“How much do I get for each consignment? Each unit sold is profited by every item. So if say, three million worth of music alone is downloaded or one CD per distribution is purchased, what would be my earnings of that three million?” Jamie asked, his high voice breaking out in different tones as he asked.

Louis’s smile grew wider still, he looked absolutely manic.

“A lad after my own heart. You know your business acquaintances for sure,” Louis said, rubbed his temple and downed the rich and bitter amber liquid. “To answer your query, mate; if you tallied in three million pounds, your signed contract to Syco Entertainment would be ten percent of each unit plus whatever revenue you brought in from shows and concerts. If you did a yearlong tour and each stadium sold seventy-five to a hundred percent, given the size – you could be profiting three hundred thousand pounds from the music and because the revenue is slightly higher for shows – five million pounds, possibly more with merchandise.” Louis explained, chuckling at the kid’s reaction. He was just a young and stupid boy from Edinburgh, completely clueless when it came to knowing the process of how profit worked between employees and music executives.

Jamie’s eyes went wide and Louis didn’t miss a beat to continue to wrap his tentacles around the poor soul.

“You of course can look for another label, but don’t expect them to sign you on for a ten album contract. You’re good, but you aren’t meant to stay as a hot sensation – take it from me,” Louis chuckled, extending his hand. “So do we have an accord? Ten albums with the possibility of a contractual deal to expand if you continue in success? No less than eight legs of tour done in a timeframe of four years with each two legs being a full year and no less than three albums per year?”

Jamie was doing quick calculation in his head and it sounded like a lot to put on his plate, especially only being sixteen and inexperienced, but what he didn’t realize was the immense pressure Syco Entertainment put on these artists before the window of opportunity passed and their cute looks and poppy sound was no longer enough to wet the appetites of young and impressionable girls or boys.

To be blunt, it was a vicious cycle. The artists were worked like slaves until they outlived their usefulness and then promptly discarded without a care or crutch to lean on. Louis produced hundreds like Jamie in his short ten years as head executive and he’ll produce hundreds more before he retired.

“Yes! God yes!” Jamie exclaimed, the nervousness completely gone from his demeanor.

Louis shoved the already drawn up papers towards his next ant worker and gave him a red pen to finalize on the dotted line – the coppery ink symbolizing the blood and sweat of the young lad in front of him that will no doubt soon start to spill.

Jamie signed with a huge smile, standing up on shaky legs.

“I’ll get to writing new songs right away!” He yelled and grabbed Louis’s hand to shake again, bounding towards the door.

Louis hit the mechanism on his desk and the door unlocked, allowing the kid to leave without further delay. He got what he wanted and there was no further reason to hold up the lad’s departure.

“I’ll give the kid a ring tomorrow, give him his work detail.” Louis murmured to himself, picking up his pen and calculating the income from future earnings and based on the demographic of studies, Jamie undersold himself by at least fifteen million – not that Louis would be telling him that. It was his thing and he was good at what he did.

“Build them up, break them down. Name of the game eh, Simon?” Louis chuckled, pushing his leather office chair out and standing up with a stretch. “Time to go visit my beauties in their gilded cage…and give one of them a piece of my mind.”

Louis started toward the long upright rectangular doors with the pure white stained glass, its gleam reflected by the large square glass across from it by the dark ebony wood desk.

Across the room on the left was a large alcohol selection and completed with a large ottoman couch to make the stress of the business days ahead more tolerable.

He sighed contently, looking down at his reflection in the black onyx and diamond-gold encrusted tile. A gift to himself upon the first anniversary of Simon’s passing that cost him nearly twenty million pounds and the following year was the ebony desk with the plush furniture and pure painite gemstone chandelier.

That alone set him back nearly five hundred million pounds, but with his earnings from the time he had in the spotlight to all the blood he had bled from his current clients…well, he made a wage above most in London and he was not one bit ashamed of it.

“Coffee first though,” Louis said decidedly with a smirk, dying to get his caffeine fix. “Maybe Zayla is working today.” He hummed as an afterthought before walking the original path to the tall penthouse doors and heading down his private elevator to the ground floor.

Once there, he stepped out the rotating doors and into the bustling streets of London humming carelessly all the while.

“I’ve got friends in low places, yes I’ve got friends in low places.” He started to sing, working his way up from the continuous hum he had going.

A tap on his shoulders at the crosswalk made him go quiet while simultaneously turning around to see what cretin decided to disrupt his merry time of self-loathsome contempt.

“Hi!” A woman in a green, red and white striped elf costume greeted him cheerily.

Louis looked her up and down with a halfcocked smile.

“Hello, luv.” Louis greeted, thinking she was a fan or at the very least a local prostitute out for a little trick.

“I’m from the local children’s hospital, I am dreadfully sorry to bother you Mr. Tomlinson, but I’m out taking donations to help the families of the kids that we are currently treating and your name came up on this year’s list! Mr. Cowell valued– “Her explanation was cut short by the hold up of his hand.

“Simon may have seen your organization as a good cause, but I am most certainly not him and he has been dead for ten years – a decade ago today if memory serves. How time flies, hm?” He chuckled and turned to be on his way and would have if the woman had not put her hand on his arm.

“Sir? It is only but once a year that we collect for the kids. If you can spare me some time, I can explain – “She tried again, but Louis was having none of it and turned back to her small frame sharply.

“My time is valuable and would only just be wasted. I do not donate to children’s charities. They could not help my son in the time that he needed, so why the bloody hell should lost cause be directed at my pocket for the expense of the sick when their chance of survival is low to begin with?” Louis demanded, anger smoldering like a burning coal in his usually cold orbs.

The elf girl looked about ready to break down into tears then and there.

“Mr. Tomlinson, these children didn’t ask for anything in life so far that has happened to them. If you felt the need to see the hospital – “ She tried for the final time, only to be interrupted yet again with a small push of his hand over hers so her touch was no longer a restriction to him.

“My son didn’t ask for what he got either! I do not need your pathetic explanation on why these children are sick or dying. If they need to be healed, let them go to a church and pray. After all, God is the almighty healer of this Earth, yeah? Let him heal if he is so willing. I’ve better things to spend my money on and it isn’t on some snot-nosed little ligger.” Louis dismissed with gritted teeth, his octaves dropping a little deeper.

“Furthermore, if the parents cannot afford the bills without paying something into the pot themselves, then their children are better off dead so the rest of us don’t have to pick up the taxes going into these useless foundations. Life isn’t free, we all pay in some way or another and I chose not to enable the kids, feel free to pass that onto the parents, yeah?”

Louis took long strides across the street without giving the elf-girl another moment of his attention. He had bigger things to focus on, like his desperation for a good caffeine fix and Allure’s severe ear lashing.

Crossing the corner, he found the Starbucks packed with people out the door and he didn’t give a rat’s arse one way of that, because he was Louis and these people weren’t. Simple equation in his mind.

He squeezed passed the commoners and through the door of Starbucks, walking nonchalantly to the start of the line.

“Morning, Zayla!” Louis called with a wink, seeing her busting around to make the order of the haggard bloke beside him.

The man looked absolutely irate when Louis invaded his personal space and that just made Louis giddier.

See, misery loved company and he was determined to spread as much cheery misery as possible and if he accomplished that, it warmed his icy insides a couple degrees to know he pissed someone’s day to Hell and back.

Zayla gave him a wide smile.

“Morning Lou! I’ll be with you in just a sec! I’m a little behind this morning.” Zayla called, rushing to the back again and back out with a bag of tea leaves.

“Excuse me.” The old bloke responded, turning so he and Louis were face to face as the younger man had already moved his body sideways to watch Zayla run back and forth like a frantic mother chicken trying to find her peeps.

“Oh, no problem, mate,” He patted the older one’s shoulder in mock friendliness. “You’re excused, happens as we age, yeah? Body functions and whatnot. Personally, I don’t find anything indignant about it – if you gotta let one rip, go on about it then I always say.”

The man’s mouth dropped open.

“You, insolent little punk! The impertinence! How DARE – “He started, but Louis’s smirk only got wider and with gently fingers, he clapped them on the man’s shoulder to silence his rant.

“Calm down, the last thing I need you to do is keel over dead from a heart attack because some lowly record executive raised your blood pressure. I came simply to get my coffee and be off, just like you. Would you mind if we skipped the dramatics? I don’t have the energy to start a coffee brawl with an old man and my time is not to be wasted on anything but productiveness and there’s too much to list on that particular subject.” Louis explained, seeing the man’s stare derail off him, a scoff leaving his mouth at seeing the extra coffee girl coming from the back, checking her phone as she walked past them – Louis did too and that actually pissed him off. There were two workers supposed to be on-call at every given time, no wonder there was a holdup.

“Hey! Mountainous mammoth! Lazy Lucy with the phone! You’re supposed to be working, the bloody forking parrots is wrong with you?” Louis demanded, angered that Zayla was working on taking orders by herself without help.

Louis hated people, but not Zayla. Zayla was one of the good ones and in turn, she was the only soul that the thirty-four-year-old could consider human.

“She’s on her break, Lou, calm down. You’re next,” Zayla called, shooting her co-worker an empathetic look before coming to the counter and laying a tray down in front of the old man. “I am very sorry for your wait.”

“What do you mean she’s on break?! You’re back there yourself doing circles! Hey! Wally wobbles, get your ass back in there and help her or I’ll see your supervisor and tell him what a lazy little urchin you’re being!” He continued to antagonize while the other customers around him went unnaturally quiet.

After all, when Louis Tomlinson raises his voice, people tend to hear him a mile down the street – if Zayla were to take bets, she would guess at least the next five blocks heard the spectacle he was making.

“Louis! Its fine, let me get your coffee and pastry, huh? Will there be anything else for you today, sir?” She frantically asked the old man while trying to calm Louis down at the same time.

“Nope, I’m getting out of this squirrel house. I need to go visit my wife, she’s in hospital and I promised her a coffee and a pastry. All I came here for, all I needed. Thank you, luv,” He turned toward Louis and clapped his hand on his shoulder as the younger man had done to him earlier. “As for you, son, I hope God gives you all the time in the world. Though, I doubt it would still be enough time to learn respect, but they say miracles happen every day.”

With that he turned and walked briskly out the door, a round of applause following him as he went.

The girl with the phone looked back down with a placid expression, merrily typing away a text as if she was not just insulted and that in itself just made Louis angrier. So he did what any normal and sane bloke does, he walked calmly behind the counter and up to the table she had set her fat ass on, ripping the phone from her hand, slamming it to the ground and doing the foot stomp down on the fragile glass until he heard a satisfying crunch.

The girl looked at him in shock, mouth dropping open in silent aghast.

“Louis! Lou, you can’t be back here!” Zayla exclaimed, running to him and wrapping her arms around his back.

He ignored her touch and put his finger in the girl’s face.

“Now, you listen here Wally Wobbles – if I EVER come in here and Zayla has a line out the door because your fat arse wanted a break, I will not only destroy whatever electronic device you posses with you at the time, I will END your employment here. I’m connected with the ower and he is a man after my own heart. Furthermore, a place of this size should have two workers AT ALL TIMES,” He threw his hands angrily behind him to make a point. “Ms. Gretchen was running back and forth exhausting herself and you couldn’t even bother to HELP your fellow man during this sorry excuse for a festive season? I’ve met animals with more compassion. Get your shit together and GET THE HELL BACK TO WORK!” Louis finished with a boom, watching the girl jump, especially when his fist came down an inch from her when he smashed it down on the metal table to make a point.

The girl ran from the room to get her apron back on and in record time returned to start filling the customer’s orders.

Louis took a deep breath and turned around to embrace Zayla.

“Good morning, luv. How’s about I spare you a tick and we have a coffee, yeah? I could truly use one.” Louis exhaled in a now calm and weary tone.

Zayla nodded and went to get him his usual, returning with a raspberry pastry.

“Alright, I have a minute. Happy birthday, by the way.” She smiled softly, not wanting to agitate his already somber mood. This time of year was rough on the both of them, but the only difference was that her heart had not blackened to stone. She doubted there was any salvation to be had for Louis and though she tried to stay optimistic, she could only cry invisible tears for him at the person he let himself become.

“Don’t bloody remind me. Another year older, a less year wiser and richer than a king. Christ, Zayla, how can you stand working here? You are a GODDESS. I mean, I could have you in the Winter catalogue shoot by tomorrow. Why do you enjoy being poor? Why do you like running around and have nothing to show for it? It’s positively disheartening to see.” Louis walked with her to the furthest corner of the crowded Starbucks and sitting heavily into the cheap wooden chair.

He winced when the sharp surface met his bum.

“I enjoy meeting new people and hearing their stories. I’m a dreamer, Lou. I meet people and their day’s events help to remind me that my life could be a lot worse. I got a job, a roof over my head and my cat Fluffy. I am richer than the richest family in London. I love my life and can’t see it any other way. Besides, models are miserable twits, why would I want to be disconsolate?” She chuckled in good nature, drinking a sip from her steaming coffee.

Louis shrugged.

“Money. Why else would anyone become a model?” He quipped back, following her lead with his own cup.

“Money means nothing if you don’t have a purpose. We don’t live forever and we can’t take it with us.” Zayla shrugged.

“This is coming from someone whose boyfriend beat her Two-year-old child dead and only got three years because evidence was corrupted? A purpose must have reason, what’s yours, Za-Za? Hm? Working yourself to death so you don’t have to think about Isaiah?” Louis snapped, though he was oblivious to the pained look that ran across the woman’s face.

He bit into his pastry, meeting her dulled eyes.

Hers narrowed, but she still held the same disconnected softness as she always did when he went too far.

“I work here because I love people, I enjoy their company because someone has to care about others. I am only sorry you do not know what that’s like.” Zayla murmured, standing up and tightening her apron behind her. “I got to go help Mara; after all, what type of person would I be in this detestable season of giving if I didn’t, yeah? Goodbye Louis. May all your wishes come true today.”

“Poppycock! You’re trying to fill your void with company, just like Wally Wobbles apparently likes to drown her sorrows in cake – and tubs of butter.” Louis folded his arms across his chest in a stance to suggest that he was trying to make a point that Zayla simply didn’t get.

“Maybe I am!” Zayla exploded, her vibrant green eyes sparking with visible anger then. “Maybe I’m moving on and trying not to let my heart turn to stone. Louis? I love you like a brother, but the path you’re going down is damning your soul into this eternal flame that no one can reach in to pull you out. You have to make the effort to reach out, otherwise, no one is going to be able to help you and despite what a humongous jerkoff you are, there are people who still love and care. So hold them dear, because if you let them go, then there’s truly nothing left,” She told him leaning forward to kiss the top of his head, breaking her lips from him and scowling. “By the way, you owe Mara a new phone.”

With that she abruptly turned and walked away before Louis could retort.

Louis watched her go with a snort, standing up and grabbing his pastry, taking another bite out of it in agitation.

“Bloody women and their bloody logic. I don’t need help. I need competence and there seems to be plenty less of that going about today than normal.” Louis glowered, standing up and heading to the exit.

A man in a Santa outfit held the door open for him, tipping his head with a warm smile.

“Merry Christmas!” He called cheerily, making Louis spin around and shove his cup of coffee into the man’s chest with force.

“If I hear one more idiot wish me a Merry Christmas, I’m going to shove this down his trousers and see how merry it is for them. I am sick of that who-ha and if I had my way; Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and father time would all be neutered, stuffed in a stew and boiled alive! So go on, say Merry bloody Christmas to me again and find out what happens fat guy!” Louis yelled, again catching the other customer’s attention.

The guy simply shrugged with another warm smile.

“Happy Hanukah then! May your days be blessed.” He attempted to correct himself.

Louis grunted and walked out the door that was still being held open for him without another word, after all, what was the point? He’d only just be mocked.

Once back out in the busy streets, he turned to walk around the corner and stopped abruptly when he crossed paths with three young kids in earmuffs that had walked up to him.

“Hello, sir!” The youngest boy quirked with a large grin.

He had bright green eyes and brown curly hair – though there was something quite off with him that Louis could just not place. He was pale and his skin seemed shrunken in, like death warmed over.

“If you’re from the hospital, I already told that Elf-bird of yours that I am not interested.” Louis said, attempting to walk passed them, but failing when they took a step forward simultaneously.

“Oh, we know all about that, but that’s not why we’re here.” The little boy with black raven hair and a short bob cut returned with a grin.

Louis folded his arms across his chest.

“Okay, then what’s your game, lads?”

The one with dyed blonde hair and blue eyes with the dark circles around them simply smiled and said nothing.

They all seemed to stare each other down for moment before Louis ended it with a simple distained grunt.

“Alright, well that was my time good and wasted. Thanks, kids. Excuse me.” Louis dismissed, walking around them to keep going, but the curly haired boy spoke again.

“I’m your Twelve o’clock appointment.” He giggles, making Louis turn back around with a raised up brow.

“I don’t have any appointments today at noon.” Louis rolled his eyes, thinking the kids were just simply trying to pull a prank on him.

Raven hair pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and a lighter from his other.

“Not noon, dumbass. Midnight. I’m your one o’clock and boy are we going to have fun,” He said tauntingly, lighting the tip of his cig, holding out the pack to offer Louis one. “Fag?”

Louis’s mouth dropped open at this kid. He was no older than six by the looks, standing there in the middle of the sidewalk and lighting up a cigarette – his parents need to give him a good wallop and ground him until he’s eighty.

“No!” Louis exclaimed, catching a few people’s attention from his outburst.

The raven haired boy shrugged and took another puff, the smoke leaving his mouth like a ghostly apparition.

“For the best then. I heard smoking can kill you.” He winks with a deep chuckle, making the quiet one of the group wheeze out a small sound that was a cross between a laugh and a cough.

Louis’s attention went to the dyed blonde. He simply pointed to himself and then held up three fingers with a mischievous smirk.

Louis had enough at that point. The Christmas music was giving him a headache and Santa’s donation bell from the next street over grated his last nerve to the point he was about to give Santa a little Holiday present that would require local surgery to remove something from somewhere that shall not be mentioned.

“Fun is over lads, go find your parents and torture them. I need to be somewhere.” Louis responded curtly and sidestepped the three, careful not to get too close.

The curly haired boy waved joyfully.

“See you at twelve!” He sang when Louis walked passed.

Louis whirled around to give their ears a good ringing, but his rant dyed on the tip of his lips when he saw that there was absolutely no one there.

“What the bloody parrots is going on today?!” Louis yelled, grabbing a woman’s arms gently and pointed to where the boys had been standing. “Not to sound crazy, which I’m not, but I was wondering if you saw three dead looking children standing right there? One was about six years old and smoking a cigarette, the other lad had curly hair and was way too happy in a creepy I’m going to murder you like Jeffery Dahmer sort of way and I think the blonde one was related to the reaper.” He rushed to explain, looking at the woman with a stoic look that soon gave way to shock when she hit him in the face with her purse and ran away.

“Bloody perfect! Hey!? Whatever happened to a simple no?!” He called after her running figure.

Louis growled and looked at his watch, eyes going wide at the time.

“Perfect! I’m late!” Louis yelled and stepped to the edge of the curb to hail a taxi.


	3. Chapter 3: Oops

Louis had his arms folded across his chest with a glare fierce enough to freeze boiling water. It was intimidating and he knew the right amount of intensity to get the desired effect from the people around him and it was working – perhaps a little too well.

“M-Mr. Tomlinson? What brings you all the way out here, lad? We’re about to shoot the video, per Mr. Payne’s request. We hope you are most pleased today, despite the slight schedule change.” The director stuttered, shrinking under the rage that was silently directed at him.

The man noticed the chilly quietness that followed his greeting. Louis stood there like a statue and if nobody knew any better, he could pass for it.

“I’m here to see Allure Amherst, where is she?” Louis ignored the director and just decided to go find her himself.

The director was still stuttering like an idiot as Louis walked away, ignoring the older man’s words. They were meaningless anyhow.

“Louis!” Liam called from the other end of the room, waving to him with a cheery smile.

Louis was positively not amused. Liam should be cowering behind a chair and if Louis saw his will done, the man would need it to fend the music executive away for fear of being mauled.

“PAYNE!” Louis bellowed with thunder as soon as he saw him waving and marching over with the intent to pounce.

Liam flinched and stopped waving, backing up against one of the makeup artists and not so shamefully using them as a shield.

“Before you go off the Paddy, Lou, just listen to reason. It was good and rational, alright? Allure’s son had another attack, he quit breathing. She was at hospital all night, her son is still there in an induced coma, this attack was worse than all the others, his body needs time to heal.” Liam rushed to explain before Louis could go full on rant.

Louis grunted and looked around to find Allure slumped in one of the makeup chairs looking exhausted and asleep. That would simply not do and he felt the need to let her know.

So he turned from Liam without a word and marched up to the makeup chairs where the girls were just getting finished up.

“Hello, Ms. Amherst, Ms. Pendleton, Ms. Blackwood, Ms. Danger and Ms. Havoc.” Louis greeted with insincere cordial.

“Good morning, Mr. Tomlinson.” The four girls responded in kind unison, looking at Allure who had actually managed to catch a few moments of peace.

“Poor dear.” Nevaeh Pendleton murmured, her hand reaching up to wake her fellow band member.

Louis grabbed her wrist and scowled.

“No, I will take care of Ms. Amherst, you four get your butts onset,”  
He pointed to the side door that led to the lavish video room. “Now.” Louis finished and smiled when they all jumped up from their chairs and practically flew from the room.

Louis turned toward the sleeping girl and sat down beside her, his hand gently going to the loose piece of honeydew hair that hung in her unrestful looking face.

“Allure? Why do you like to disappoint me? I’ve been kind and I’ve been patient. Both are now comparable to charge cards, because I have reached my limit.” Louis spoke softly, his hand pausing in mid-stroke when someone cleared their throat.

Louis looked up and saw it was Liam wearing a frown.

“You have no compassion.” Liam told him without expression, folding his arms across his chest.

Louis barked out a rough but soft laugh and clapped his hands.

“Oh Li, that gave me a tickle in my bones, mate. You missed your calling. You could have been the court jester for entertainment at Buckingham palace, a circus clown or village imbecil, because God knows a few towns have been calling in lately, claiming to be missing their idiots. I believe I just found one.”

Louis’s face was stoic when he finished and his normally higher spoken voice was a dark rumble.

Liam rubbed the back of his neck nervously with a sigh.

“Louis? Allure has had the upmost deplorable night. Must you be so cruel to make your point? Can you not just explain the situation without making her feel like crap? If I ask for nothing more from you this Christmas, it would be that you show mercy on the young lady,” Liam murmured, continuing when Louis didn’t interject to chew his butt out for disrupting his fun. “It is unlikely that her son will live through to next year. He needs time to heal, but his body can’t recover fast enough.”

Louis looked down at Allure and pulled his hand from her head.

“What’s ailing the boy and how old?” Louis asked passively, standing up so that he and Liam may continue the conversation face to face.

Liam seemed taken aback of his boss’s queries, but answered.

“Seven and he suffers from a rare genetic disorder. The surviving age is five once diagnosed.” Liam cleared his throat to stop the emotion from falling through.

“Impossible. She would have been fourteen when she had the kid and did she not know he would be born genetically crippled?” Louis asked, glancing back to Allure to see her eyes opening.

“Allure, you’re wanted on set, luv. Knock them dead.” Liam tried to hurry her, but Louis was quick to grab her by the wrist and stand her forcibly on her feet.

“Not so fast, luvvy. I want to know why you were hours late for a video shoot? You have done gone maxed out your chonces and I won’t stand for it anymore. If you want to be committed to this band, then you will need to make sacrifices in other departments. I have been more than reasonable on the matter of your son. If you should choose to go back on your contract, I will have no choice but to file legal actions against you for the money leant for the treatments that you had requested. That was filed under a verbal contract that you agreed to uphold,” Louis reminded her, using his arm to direct her towards the door the other girls had gone through. “Don’t forget to smile, that’s about the only redeemable quality you have right now. You have crow eye – have your assistant put some concealer on before the cameras role and tell her to use the whole tube, you’re going to need it.”

Allure hurried toward the door in a haste to escape her less than desirable boss. She hated him with every microfiber of her being, but he was right about the verbal contract. He would give her advances if she did the work required of her within the band.

Liam shook his head and turned to walk away, because arguing with Louis was like arguing with a talking bird. You could scream all you wanted, but the bird would yell back louder.

“Liam?” He called, sitting back down on one of the makeup chairs.

Liam stopped with a sigh and turned to Louis, eyes furrowed in confusion.

“Yes, Lou?” Liam questioned, turning himself around to meet the music executor.

“You need to get it together. If I have to come down here to make sure things are running on schedule, I will assume you are not competent enough to do so yourself and terminate your contract immediately,” Louis warned, leaning back in the chair completely at ease and continuing merely. “For now, I will deduct your pay two-hundred pounds for a couple of months to make up the revenue that was wasted on delay time. I’m sure your cash-cow ex-wives can do without this season’s minx coats and jewelry line for a tick, yeah?” Louis challenged, giving Liam a cold stare.

Liam’s shoulders slumped knowing Louis would cut him back more if he protested and he wasn’t going to argue the fact that he needed the money.

“Yeah, Lou. I’m sure I can make up the difference in other ways; it’s really not that big of a deal.” Liam responded politely and went to oversee the video progress.

Louis watched him go with a snort.

“Somehow, I don’t think your ex-wives will see it like that, but whatever gets you out of bed in the morning, Sally Sunlight,” Louis responded sarcastically, closing his eyes for a few moments to get his thoughts straight. “God, Simon – the incompetence here is getting worse with every passing year. I wish you were around to keep the nitwits in line.”

“Are you sure you want that as a wish, mate? Somehow, I don’t think that would end well for you,” A young voice rang through the silence of the empty room.

Louis’s eyes snapped open and saw the three young kids from earlier – minus the ear muffs.

“He isn’t exactly happy you had him buried in a rent-a-suit and cheap coffin. Though I’m sure he can grace you with a brief appearance.” Raven hair shrugged, taking out another cigarette and lighting it up with his lighter.

Curly hair and silent blonde sat on the other side of him with neutral expressions.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows into a scowl, not missing that the kids seemed to have grown and aged slightly since he last saw them.

“Are you three stalking me? What’s going on?” Louis demanded, standing up from the chair and saw that his eyes were in fact not playing tricks on him. “And for Heaven’s sake, put out that damn cigarette! You shouldn’t even be smoking! Who the heck is providing you with them?!”

Raven haired chuckled and dropped the cancer stick on the ground, stomping it.

“Stalking is such a strong word, mate. I prefer the term following for educational purposes and nobody provides my fags. I had them before I came here and will most likely have them after.” Raven hair quipped back, taking out another cigarette and sticking the tip of it in his mouth, lighting it up.

Louis’s mouth dropped open, watching his nonchalant behavior.

Curly hair smiled.

“Okay, I just asked you to put your damn cig out and you go and light up another one!? Bloody Nora! Are you lads related to children of the corn by chance? Because sweet mother of Jesus Christ, you lot are creepy as fu -”

Raven hair’s hand shot to Louis’s mouth and cut the older gent off from swearing.

Louis felt his voice stolen away abruptly, the hand as cold as ice against his living flesh.

“As much as I would love to hear the sweet bliss of a filthy mouth, you really shouldn’t swear in front of us. You know, being that we’re children and all that bollocks.” Raven hair taunted, removing his mouth.

Curly hair frowned, hitting the raven haired boy gently and shaking his head.

“We must keep with the plan, mate. He’ll understand tonight,” The curly one advised softly, glancing at the silent blonde. “And you need to pop by the hospital, yeah? You have your one o’clock to collect, right?”

Silent blonde nodded and hopped up from the chair and looked at Louis with the same lifeless blue eyes, waving at him with a simple smile.

With a final goodbye he reached behind him, a black object beginning to grow tall as it seemed to materialize before them.

Raven hair began protesting, knowing that was something that could not easily be explained.

“Mate! Not in front of the mortal!” Raven hair hissed, seeing Louis’s mouth dropping open further in fear when he saw the object was a scythe.

Curly hair let out a small sigh.

This could have gone much better.

“Louis, we can explain. You just need to remain ca – “He began, but it was far too late to save face and Curly knew it.

Silent blonde waved his hand and disappeared from the room in a black flash of smoke, making Louis’s high pitched scream radiate around the empty room.

Raven hair was quick to silence him with a wave of his hand and Curly at the same time with his to stop Louis from running.

“Okay, this could have gone way better. We were told specifically to stick to the rules. Follow him around, pop up to guide him in the right direction if he needed and to be in a nonthreatening entity form of some sort that wouldn’t scare him. I believe that’s been all cackled up to Hades and back.” Curly observed calmly, watching raven hair push back against Louis’s shoulder so he was sitting back down in the makeup chair again.

“I believe it was cocked up when blonde revealed his big swoop-swoop blade he carries about with him. We aren’t children for God sakes, why do we have to be in this ridiculous form? I feel like a Midget.” Raven hair complained, making Curly shoot him a look.

“Because mortal children are unthreatening.” Curly responded, taking his finger and closing Louis’s gaping mouth, his silent screams only filling the dead frequency that was unheard by human ears, though it was giving both Curly and raven hair a headache.

“Not all children, mate. Let’s play a game of horror movies that had creepy little children in them,” Raven hair snipped back, looking at Louis’s wide eyes. “Lad? No one can hear you but us. Can you stop the screaming? It’s giving my Demons a gigantic headache and they already get that from my nagging girlfriend.” He finished with a chuckle.

“Zayn? That’s enough,” Curly warned, looking at Louis who was trying his hardest to move at that point to run for his life. “We aren’t demons; we’re spirits who were assigned to help you. Think of us as your guardian angels.”

“Harry? We’re damned souls who if this doesn’t work will be forced to walk the earth from now until judgment day. We can’t afford to mince words and sugarcoat them. If he doesn’t learn, we don’t move on.” Zayn said, huffing when Harry shot him another glare.

“You like blundering everything, don’t you?” Harry asked tonelessly.

“Only if I know it takes away your fun, mister we must follow the rules to pass on,” Zayn laughed, sucking on his lit cig that surprisingly never burnt passed the tip. “There are plenty of ways to complete the task and not be a boring git whilst doing it.”

Louis had quit screaming and watched the two ghost children arguing.

Harry grumbled out a small swear and looked at Louis.

“The corpse is out of the crematory, I suppose.” Harry relented and in a blink of an eye, when Louis looked, he was now staring at a young looking male of twenty-two or so.

Zayn followed his lead, growing to his natural height and cracking his bones out as he did so.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“You’re dead, what was the bloody point of that display?”

Zayn shrugged.

“There’s always a point to something. After all – we learn from our past, right Harry?” He quipped sarcastically, leaving the other ghost to nod.

“I suppose there is and I suppose we do.” He agreed, looking around the room full of props and cases that were set inside.

Zayn nodded and patted Louis on the shoulder.

“Anyhow, in case you were wondering, Niall is your last appointment. That one will be a real eye opener for you, man. Take it from me.” He grinned, making Harry smack him in the head.

“Enough! Alright, Louis? I will see you at midnight, unless you decide to go ahead and be a scrooge again, then we’ll be seeing you sooner. So try to behave, hm?” Harry chastised with a cheery tone, waving his hand up to release Louis from his frozen state.

“Wait!” Zayn yelled, grabbing a tub of fire red lipstick and some dark burgundy eyeshadow that was on the makeup stand from earlier. “Let’s give him a makeover before he runs from the room peeing his trousers, let’s have a little bitta fun, yeah?”

“Zayn, do you really want to risk upsetting the powers that be? We are supposed to be helping him and I don’t believe a makeover is a benefit to our assistance.” Harry cautioned him, making Zayn look at the makeup and then Harry, before setting his sights back on Louis.

“Come on, the red will bring out his fa – “Zayn started, but Harry waved his hand and just like that, Louis could move again and he wasted no time in doing it either.

With the speed of speedy Gonzales, the flash and Superman combined, Louis flew from the room as fast as the two spirits could blink their dead eyes.

“Give him back his voice, Zayn.” Harry sighed, his screams echoing in their heads again like a siren bouncing off a cave wall.

“Gladly, bloody bloke has a good set of lungs on him.” Zayn relented, waving his hand in the air.

“DEMON CHILDREN-MEN! CALL AN EXORCIST! CALL THE POPE! HELL, CALL SANTA CLAUSE BUT GET SOMEBODY THE HELL OUT HERE TO TAKE CARE OF IT! AND GET ME SOME HOLY WATER AND A CROSS WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!” Louis screamed, interrupting the active video shoot in the other room.

“That’s our que to leave, isn’t it?” Zayn asked, not waiting for Harry’s answer before he popped out in a white puff of smoke.

Harry shook his head sadly and followed Zayn’s lead.

*

Louis’s hands were shaking terribly, unsteady fingers struggling to light the cig that was pursed in his tightly thinned lips.

“Here, mate. Let me help.” Liam offered kindly, taking the lighter from his hand and lighting the tip of the cigarette he had requested from one of the volunteers helping with the video.

“They were children, but then they weren’t. They were spooks like Casper, only not so friendly and – well the one was friendly. He was nice for a ghost I suppose. The blonde reaper kid, Niall? He doesn’t say anything but he had this reaper stick coming out his arse…or behind his back? Zayn was a cocky mother fu – I am not crazy! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!” Louis rambled, yelling at Liam as the poor bloke could only look onto the boss with sympathy.

The pressures of work were finally getting to him.

“I believe you, boss. Take it easy,” Liam calmed, using his one hand to straighten the blanket on his shoulders. “Why not go back to the office? You need to relax; perhaps use today to do what you want? It is your birthday after all.” He suggested with a small smile.

Louis waved him off.

“I don’t want to do anything! I want to work and then go home and relax on my couch with some strong weed, a bottle of alcohol and pretend this day never existed.” Louis told him blatantly, his voice raspy from screaming.

“How about skip work and go home and do that? What about dinner with your mum? Any chance this year or am I to tell her the same thing I had the following years?” Liam asked.

“Tell her to get bogged It’s too late to mend the past and if she wanted a relationship with me, she wouldn’t have sent me away to boarding school.” Louis retorted darkly, throwing the blanket from him and standing up, the other workers parting to get out of his way.

Liam let a small look of hurt cross his face.

“That’s where we met.” Liam reminded him, making Louis grunt out an agreement, taking another drag.

“I am aware. Anyhow, I can’t stop shaking and I need to go make a pit stop at a local church for some holy water and cross. I wasn’t kidding. I need them, because I will be damned if those demon-men are stealing my soul!” Louis bellowed, making his way to the door, but stopped when he realized he had taken a taxi.

“Li?” Louis turned around, his body still somewhat unsteady.

“Yeah, Lou?” Liam returned, walking to his boss and helping him to the exit, all the heads in the room watching the spectacle in either annoyance, disbelief, concern or curiosity.

“I need you to drive.” Louis muttered, stealing a glance at his assistant who merely nodded and helped him out to a broken down looking Toyota Camry.

Louis grunted, making a note to think about getting Liam a more reliable looking car than the deathtrap they were about to step into.

“Nice car, does it come with a contract from Death?” Louis asked sarcastically, opening the passenger side door on the left and getting in without waiting for Liam’s reply.

Liam got into the driver’s side and took his keys out from his pocket.

“If it does, it would be filed in one of your folders, wouldn’t it? After all, you’re the one seeing ghosts.” Liam hit back with friendliness, making Louis scowl.

“I love a comedian as much as the next person, but your act sucks.” Louis told him flatly, crossing his arms across his chest and looking straight ahead. “Get me to a church and then get me home. I’m taking your advice and making it an early day.”

Liam nodded and drove off to find a church that had readily available holy water and crosses. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Unbeknownst to Louis or Liam; Harry, Niall and Zayn sat in their child forms in the back so they could all fit, watching the interaction between the men – well, Harry and Niall were observing. Zayn was too busy laughing hysterically at Louis’s persistence of finding holy water.

“Man, that boy takes things way too literal.” Zayn smirked, looking at the other two.

Needless to say, they didn’t share in Zayn’s amusement.


	4. Chapter 4: Ghosty Pasts

“For the last time, I know what I saw! They were not linked to my imagination! Can you not get that through your cranium? I. saw.DEMON.MEN-CHILDREN and I need those items, pronto! Now would you PLEASE give me some holy water and a bloody cross?! I know you have to have them stashed somewhere around this place of hypocrisy.” Louis sneered, walking up the alter and that would have been okay– if the congregation wasn’t in the middle of their service…and if it wasn’t a Jehovah Witness church.

Liam groaned and hit his hand against his forehead in exasperation, with Harry not far from joining him in his now adult form next to Zayn and Niall.

Zayn was still finding great amusement in the mortal’s actions as he watched Louis go up to a desk and start to look through it.

Evidently, the elder was not amused as he insisted that they did not believe in symbols as symbolism is a sign of false prophet and will damn the soul into eternal damnat –

Zayn yawned.

“Yeah, he’s not gonna have much luck here.” Zayn chuckled, his eyes following a flying drawer as it nearly missed one of the other elders sitting in the front row.

“This isn’t funny, mate.” Harry frowned, crossing his arms into his chest with a stern look.

Zayn rolled his eyes and glanced at Liam, the tired look in that bloke’s soul sobered the ghost slightly.

“What’s this one’s story then? I’d of quit years ago if I was stuck working for the world’s largest arse.” Zayn asked, puffing on his fag. He was curious and Harry was after all, the ghost of the past.

“He was Louis’s first and only friend in boarding school. His mum and dad sent him there when he became too difficult to deal with at home and while Louis was away, his father died. Car accident, hit dead on by a drunk driver,” Harry paused and looked down with a simple shake of his head, before pressing on.

“His mum paid for extracurricular schooling for him after and married a year later. By the time she sent home for him, he was already well into the limelight. He wanted and still wants nothing to do with her. Liam stayed with Louis because he is in a sense, keeping the man from going off the edge, but it won’t be enough. He has a lot of demons in his closet and that’s what concerns me as we might not overcome them in one night. He has a lot to face.” Harry sighed, pinching the headache he felt coming on – even though he couldn’t physically get one since he had been dead for nearly three hundred and seventy-five years.

Zayn let out a small grunt.

“Fine, let me talk to hi – “Harry cut the other ghost off with a sharp-tongued warning.

“Don’t you dare! We stick to only becoming visible when the situation calls for it, Zayn.” Harry yelled, jumping when the whole desk suddenly went flying.

Zayn gave Harry a sarcastic look, blowing smoke out his nose.

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” Zayn exclaimed in mock sarcasm, before dropping his voice back to a passive monotone. “No, never mind it’s just the sight of flying drawers, chairs, desks and an Elder about to drop dead from a high blood pressure coronary,” He finished lamely, rolling his eyes.

“Harry? I think now would be a good time to pop up and remind Lou about being a good little church-boy, unless you want Niall to have to lead Elder Uptight into the light?” Zayn asked, cocking his brows and tossing his eternal lit cigarette to the floor and reaching into his pack to grab another one.

“You have a serious smoking problem and they don’t even burn down. The tip burns forever, why do you keep doing that?” Harry asked, curious at the very least – considering the cig never burned passed the tip, even as he sucked on it.

Zayn shrugged.

“I had them on me at the time of my death, lit one and wham – no more me. It’s nice to have endless fags and never have to worry about buying more or them burning down. I doubt they have a ghostly commissary around here to buy them at and then there’s the currency to purchase them with. Hell, if this is damnation, why should I worry?” Zayn finished with a shrug.

“Because we don’t know if damnation is walking the earth forever or if it’s worse than Simon’s punishment. We don’t know so therefore, you need to quit mucking about.”

Harry’s head snapped at the sudden crash of a potted plant being kicked nearly across the room.

“HOW PRIMITIVE ARE YOU IDIOTS?! WHO DOESN’T CARRY THESE ITEMS IN A CHURCH!?” Louis yelled, making Harry sigh and make himself visible.

“Louis!” Harry exclaimed, his voice deep.

Louis spun around and let out a high-pitched scream, before bolting toward the door and out it.

Zayn watched him run, his lanky legs kicking up a storm, though he still couldn’t help the smirk that overcame his lips.

“DEMON MEN-CHILDREN!” Louis screamed in panic, running down the street.

Harry stomped his foot in frustration, turning to Niall and Zayn.

“Come on, Z, we’re going to have to ghost him again.” Harry turned to face his fellow spirits.

Zayn rolled his eyes.

“We won’t be able to do anything if he keeps running away from us.”

Harry mocked his earlier action.

“Gee, I wonder whose fault that is, hm?” Harry returned just as sarcastic.

“Niall’s,” Zayn accused without pause, smirking. “He’s the one who materialized his bitty-boppity stick with the curved edge and zippity zappity zipped to go collect more deadlings to fill his tunnel of darkness. Hell, if I was still mortal – I’d of pissed myself and ran too.”

Harry let out a groan and transported to where Louis has gone, leaving Liam to apologize to the Elder – who was currently upset and berating him.

Zayn frowned, turning to Niall.

Niall just stood there with an immense look of displeasure across his extremely pale face and his middle finger sticking directly out.

Zayn shooed him with his hand.

“Catch up to Harry, I’ll be with to joining you in a tick.” Zayn promised, seeing Niall disappear without argument – well, not that he could really argue considering.

“I’m sorry about Louis. This time of year is pretty ha –“ Liam tried to apologize again, but failed when the Elder spoke above him.

“Regardless! I have half a mind to phone the police! He destroyed property!” The elder gestured about wildly and then pointed to the destroyed plant across the room. “That, was a present from my mother and it added character to here, now look at it!”

The ugly off brown of the majority of the church and the hideous off white walls were enough to convince Liam that the plant didn’t add anything, but he really wasn’t in the mood to challenge the opinion.

“I’m sorry, I will mail you a check and you can replace anything that was dama –“ Liam paused when he noticed the Elder’s pants started to slide down his hips.

The Elder noticed it too and yanked them back up.

“It cannot replace that plant! My mother gave it to me a few years’ prior before dying. I don’t care about the desks or the chairs – but that plant added something in this church that cannot be replaced and your friend’s behavior is unacceptable! He is mad. You best escape while you’re still able.” He insisted, glaring at Liam.

Liam knew how the elder felt. For example, he couldn’t begin to replace the sanity he’d lost this morning alone thanks to Louis and no amount of money or pleading to God has yet changed that course.

“I know how he feels, sir. My sanity wakes up every morning before me, escapes from its cage and jumps out the window naked and takes a nice leisurely stroll somewhere between Doncaster, England and Italy. If you see him, please tell him to come home, I’m beginning to miss him.” Liam half chuckled and half cried, turning to walk away without waiting for further verbal abuse from the angry Elder.

“Don’t come back!” He heard before the door closed completely and Liam most definitely took that to heart. He wouldn’t be returning, even if it was the last standing building in England.

Liam groaned, hearing a loud bout of excitement inside from fellow Jehovah witnesses. If he had opened the door again, he might have seen the elder standing with his trousers and skives down around his ankles.

Zayn smirked and decided to follow Liam out without transporting to Harry.

“You did mention naked, mate. I figure he could use some humility, don’t thank me or anything,” He chuckled, knowing Liam couldn’t hear him. With a shrug, he continued. “Should we go find –“ Zayn paused, hearing Harry call for him telepathically.

He rolled his eyes.

“Excuse me, I’m being summoned by curly pain. Gotta pop, but stay safe, yeah?” He asked, disappearing to Harry, who had Louis on the ground, paralyzed.

Zayn chuckled.

“What’s going on?”

Harry’s hand was tightly on Louis’s mouth and Louis was trying unsuccessfully to bite him.

“Will you silence him, please?” Harry asked, seeing Zayn channel the link and wave his hand up, effectively paralyzing Louis’s vocals to the inside of their heads so only they could hear.

Niall was nowhere to be found.

“Let me go you demonic children-men of the corn!” Louis screamed at them, making Harry smile despite the situation.

“We aren’t demons, Louis. We are –“Harry began, but Louis interrupted him.

“Tall, dark and evil there said you were!” Louis insisted, trying his hardest to struggle against their invisible hold.

“yeah? Well, Zayn is a smartarse. We’re spirits, not demons. Running across one of those is like finding a leprechaun under a rainbow with a pot of gold. It’s near impossible. As for who I am; I’m Harry Styles.” He furrowed his eyebrows, watching Louis’s eyes as they could only stare upright in frozen fear and annoyance.

“No! Imbecil, I meant, who the hell are you? Where did you come from?! I demand to know if you’re going to be demonizing me!” Louis screamed in their heads.

Harry snorted and Zayn smirked.

The curly headed young man cleared his throat, not that it needed it. He was dead and their voices didn’t crack, because they could not feel anything of their own lives. Simply put, Harry could feel every emotion and feeling from the past of the people he saw and that was torture, because he couldn’t feel an ounce of sadness for his own young soul that had been snuffed out.

“I was mortal once, just as you. I was born February 1st, 1619 in Redditch, England. I died February 14th, 1641. It was a carriage accident in Holmes Chapel that claimed my life. I had just turned twenty-two and I stepped onto the street while clearing the slush of snow for my mum, since it was Winter and we had just had our last snowfall of the season and she was not in the best of health due to the less than satisfactory conditions of our home,” Harry cleared his throat again inside his head out of habit, wishing Louis could somehow feel what he should be able to, but couldn’t.

“My sister spent her days helping a neighbor who had just lost her teenaged son to the bubonic plague – something that later claimed my sister. Mum died not long after and I didn’t stick around much, even after I had died, I couldn’t bear to see her in that state. Even if I couldn’t fully connect.” Harry recalled, his light eyes slightly darkening at the memory. It was his curse to see everyone’s past, his own included; whether he wanted to or not.

Louis tried to move, their heads unnaturally quiet from lack of his vocal protesting, which made Zayn cork an eyebrow.

“Nothing smartass to add? How uncharacteristic of you, Louis.” Zayn antagonized sardonically.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, about the only thing he could move.

“Louis! Oh, God! Are you alright?” Liam asked, the sound of his footsteps growing closer.

Harry looked into Louis’s eyes.

“Louis? I need you to stop screaming about demons, alright? We are ghosts, nothing more and nothing less – except Niall, but he’s a special case. I’m going to unghost you now, okay? I need you to get up calmly and tell Liam that you’re alright. When you do that, he’s going to help you up and take you home. When you get home, eat and get some rest. It will be a very long night for you and for us. Let me know if you understand, because I really don’t want to have to keep doing this to you.” Harry demanded, his voice calmingly slow and gentle, his face glancing down at Louis while he just laid on the sidewalk by Liam’s car. He had desperately been trying to claw his way inside before Harry and Niall had caught up.

“Yes, I understand.” Louis answered bitterly, hate in his eyes.

It was amazing, his moods changed quicker than an unstable hurricane.

“I mean it Louis – “Harry began sternly, waving his hand slowly and nodding to Zayn.

Zayn waved his hand up a moment later, nodding to Louis to go ahead and speak.

“I’m fine, low blood sugar.” Louis lied, his voice cracking from screaming so much and his head killing him for the same reason.

The cold wind blew around them for a moment, the small swoosh of air parting to accommodate the physical forms of the two living beings.

“Alright, let’s go pick something up and get you back to your flat.” Liam suggested, helping the lanky man from the ground.

Louis let him help, turning back to see the two other spirits already gone.

“Wonderful.” Louis muttered disdainfully, jerking open the now unlocked door and getting into the passenger seat without another word.

“Do you still want to try another church, Lou? I know one more. “Liam asked when he got in, starting up the car and putting his seatbelt on.

Harry, Zayn and Niall were back in their child-like forms, sitting quietly in the back to continue their task.

Louis sighed tiredly, looking into Liam’s equally exhausted eyes.

“Tell me, Liam – do you think getting these items will help my soul any less be damned when I die? Because at this point, if these ghosts are demons, I’m beginning not to give a f –“ He was cut off by his phone ringing.

Louis shook his head and took it out.

“Louis bend-over-and-take-it-today Tomlinson, how may I assist you in torturing me as I live and breathe?” He grit out, his eyes growing a darker blue if that was even possible.

Zayn laughed.

“I could have been besties with this bloke if I hadn’t died in WW1 at 23, now those were the times to be alive, mate. Woman loved a solider in a suit and chasing tale was not a feted challenge.” Zayn recalled with a smirk, though the feelings associated with his time of life was hard to place, because the happiness he felt was only associated in the here and now. He couldn’t go back and he couldn’t move forward.

Harry chortled.

“Yeah, I’m sure you were a real ladies man. Keep smoking whatever it is that you’re smoking, because I don’t see how chasing women is such a lavish goal in mortal life, but then again – mum raised me to be a gentleman.” He finished with a shrug.

Zayn let out a loud ‘HAH!’ before full out laughing.

“I think that’s what got you in the position you’re in, in the first place.” Zayn shot back, referring to shoveling the snow before his untimely demise.

Harry let out a smirk of his own.

“Yeah and your smoking got you to where you are, didn’t it? Don’t cast the first stone, because I know everyone’s history here. You lit your fag and then got a cannon ball right through your head because you idiotically stood up from your trench. Hell, you were buried in a mass grave with the other fallen platoon. Not even a proper burial. Your family – “Harry stopped when he saw the hard look crossing Zayn’s face.

“I suppose I should be thankful I can’t feel emotions, not my bloody own at least – because then it would be a pretty safe bet to say that I would beat the death out of you. My family suffered enough, my sisters were orphaned because my parents abandoned them, so step off and keep your non-breathing nose out of my past you curly haired little cockroach.” Zayn huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and focusing back up to the front.

“No…no…well, cut his contract then. He has an album left and it isn’t my fault he’s a has-been cokehead. I didn’t force the bump down his nose and if he dies from the overdose, send a bouquet of dead roses to his mother for condolences and a card that says she should have tried better in raising him right without the drugs. He had problems when I signed him, I sent him to a program – he chose to screw it up, not me.” Louis defended hotly.

Niall pointed to Louis’s phone.

“Your next appointment?” Harry asked, adjusting himself in the seat. “Will you shrink some more, Niall? The backseat here for three of us, even in lad’s form is a tight fit.”

Niall nodded, gesturing a two and then a zero, pointing again, but at the car clock this time.

“Twenty minutes, sounds good.” Zayn nodded, deciding to try another form that wasn’t a kid and smaller than one so he could stretch out a bit and be comfortable.

Harry watched with slight amusement when Zayn started to shift into a pure black coated cat with beautiful honey brown eyes.

Niall rolled his eyes, though chose to shift into an Irish red and white setter.

“More room for me, thanks lads.” Harry smirked, choosing to grow into his normal twenty-two-year-old body.

Zayn let out a purr, a small glint in his eye as an idea came to mind.

“Zayn? Don’t you even – “Harry warned, but watched as Zayn’s eyes glinted with mischief and he made himself visible to Louis, jumping onto his lap and showing off a smile that cats shouldn’t know how to even make.

“DEMON CAT!” Louis screamed, his cellphone flying out the window when he threw his hand away.

Liam’s head jerked as he saw his boss go stiff, his hand on the handle of the door to open it, which would have happened if Harry didn’t ghost him again.

Since Harry needed Louis to calm down and not try to kill himself by jumping from a moving car, he decided to ghost him completely, leaving Zayn to use his paws to manually shut Louis’s eyes.

“Lou, you okay?” Liam asked, gently shaking his shoulder.

Louis scream inside the dead channel of the other three ghost’s minds, making them flinch – mostly because the words leaving his mouth would make a nun have a heart attack.

“Lou, Zayn’s a dick, but for the last bloody time, WE AREN’T DEMONS! We’re dead, we can take whatever shape we want.” Harry yelled over his screaming, making Zayn and Niall rub their heads, glad they could only feel a phantom of what a headache was.

“Is there a way to gag him completely?” Zayn asked, jumping in the back again.

“You started it! He was about to jump out the bloody door!” Harry accused, making Niall roll his dog eyes and vanish in a puff of smoke to his next appointment sos not to be late.

“Okay, fine – no more toying with the mortal. I’ll be a good little ghostie from now on, reaper’s honor.” Zayn chuckled, switching back into his kid form, staring up at Harry with the largest smile, kicking his feet back and forth.

Harry looked back and saw that Liam had gone back to driving, assuming Louis fell asleep – though, Louis was still pissed off about Liam not stopping to make sure his cellphone was alright and complaining about having to get another one and that it was most definitely coming out of his pay.

Harry gave up trying to calm him, it was an hour back to his flat, hopefully by that time he will have calmed down – but it was Louis after all, so God only knew.

“Tonight, is going to be long, but I swear to God, Zayn, if you cock your time up, you’re pretty much screwing all our chances down the loo. Please just do what the powers that be ask, okay? It depends on all of us working as a team, because I’m tired. I’m tired of hanging around, seeing everyone’s past and being stuck. Nearly four hundred years, mate. I’m ready to see something else beyond this world.” Harry admitted with defeat, eyeing off the smaller boy’s form.

Zayn was quiet for a moment – as was Louis strangely enough.

“How do we even know there’s an existence beyond this one?” He challenged back with curiosity, stopping his feet and tapping his fingers against the window to create a rhythm on the glass that only they could hear.

Harry shrugged.

“I don’t, but if there’s life beyond death, then there is something beyond death, right?” Harry pondered, hearing Louis let out a scoff.

“If there is, then their whole system is fu –“Harry stopped listening at that point, his eyes furrowing at the simple question that they themselves as the dead didn’t even have an answer for.

“I don’t know, but cheers. Here’s to hoping.” Harry nodded, shaking his head when Louis was back on his cellphone and demanding to be unfrozen so he could scream at Liam to take a detour to the nearest phone store – Harry needless to say, just let him vent. It was all he could do at that moment and if Liam knew, no doubt he’d be falling onto his knees in thankfulness, but since Louis looked like he was asleep, well, Liam was still thankful.

“I hope you three burn in hell you no good, evil, demonic motherfu –“ Louis continued like that all the way to his flat, which took extra time thanks to heavy traffic.


	5. Chapter 5: Niall

“You are NOT leaving me here, Liam.” Louis glowered, holding a remote in his hand that automatically put a titanium bolt in place at the door – which he had pressed, thus preventing his assistant from going anywhere.

Liam was unamused to say the least, he had been trying fruitlessly to convince Louis to let him go for the last forty-five minutes and it seemed it was going in one ear and out the other.

“Louis, there are no such things as ghosts or demons. They simply do not exist – at least in this universe. I think you may need to cut down on watching Supernatural, mate. Now, I need to go pick up my son Jake and my daughter Ember. It’s about the only decent thing in my life going right is them getting to spend Christmas with me this year since their mothers are going on vacation for a week to Bali. So, please unlock the door so that I may leave.” Liam explained, practically pleading to get away from his boss.

Louis glared.

“I know what I saw and also, you owe me another phone!” Louis ranted, not budging from his spot, his arms folded across his chest.

“Louis? I will get you a new phone and anything else you want, hell, I’ll even come back later to check up on you if you want, but right now – I need to go pick up my children. Please unlock the door.” Liam ordered, keeping calm and speaking with respect to try and appeal to his erratic boss.

“No!” Louis stomped his foot hotly.

Harry sighed, having already been sitting on Louis’s couch to witness the whole thing while Zayn and Niall were away performing their own tasks.

“Louis? Let the poor man leave.” Harry ordered tiredly, becoming visible.

Louis’s head snapped to the couch and he stomped his foot again.

“NO!” He insisted, pointing to the couch. “Keep out of this you demon spawn from Satan’s arse, I am not going to let you possess me again! BE GONE!” He waved his hand up erratically in a gesture that he was dismissed.

Of course, to Liam it looked like his boss was having a psychotic breakdown as he couldn’t see Harry on the couch since their task was focused specifically to Louis.

“Louis? You need to let me go, right now!” Liam yelled, stepping back when Louis’s attention snapped back on him with dark pools of ocean that now drew all the flames from hell, though he spoke rather calmly and that was more unnerving than his normal screaming.

“Liam, if you step out of that –“ Harry interrupted him.

“Louis, don’t make me ghost you again so I can free your assistant, because I will do it. Let him go, you are breaking the law.” Harry spoke again in exasperation.

He was already at his ghostly wits end with the mortal.

“I am NOT breaking the law, I demand to know how?!” Louis exploded, taking a coaster from the coffee table nearby and hurling it at Harry.

The object went right through him and Louis picked up another to toss.

“I’m dead, Louis. Those objects can’t hurt me and if you want me to be technical, keeping Liam here by force is what today’s police would call a kidnapping. You need to let Liam leave, look at him, you’re scaring the living right piss from him right now.” Harry gestured to Liam’s worried face at his boss’s unpredictable behavior.

Louis looked and glared harder at Harry.

“He’s staying,” Louis finished sitting down in a chair. “Can you stay? I hate being alone right now. You know that.” Louis asked Liam calmly.

“I-I can’t. I need to go get my kids, if I don’t –” Liam began to plead.

“Whether he stays or goes, what’s happening tonight is going to happen regardless. I’m the ghost of the past, I can’t freeze time, but Niall can and trust me when I say, you don’t want that. Let him go, Louis. I’m counting to three and if you don’t – “Harry stopped when Louis pressed the button for the deadbolt with defeat.

“Never mind, just go.” Louis muttered distastefully, throwing the remote at Harry’s head and folding his arms back over his chest.

“I’ll come back later, mate. I promise.” Liam said, turning and practically flying out the door in a hurry to make up for lost time.

Harry used his hand to press the deadbolt back into place and set it to the side of him since he could still touch living objects.

“Nothing you have to show me tonight is going to work. You know that, right? My past is my own damn business. I’ve no intent on reliving any of it, so you might as well piss off.” Louis warned, standing up to go to the kitchen.

Harry smiled fondly, following after him.

“I’m afraid I can’t and even if I could, I think it’s high time you faced your past. It’s not as bad as the others I’ve seen – most certainly not as rough as Allure’s was and sadly, is going to be.” Harry sighed, sitting down on a stool at the black granite island while Louis went to the stainless-steel fridge to the left of it.

The kitchen was huge. Almost the size of a small apartment. A small island with a black granite top and blinding white structure sat directly in the middle of the room, two pure crystal chandelier fixtures hung above it to compliment the pure black sapphire granite floors.

“You want some scotch?” Louis asked in a mutter out of habit. He usually offered clients or even guests a drink when he was pouring some for himself.

Harry laughed.

“I would, but I’m afraid I’ve been on the sober trolley for a few hundred years, you know, being dead and all.” Harry winked, leaning back in his seat to look around.

“A simple no thanks would have sufficed.” Louis snapped back, not in the mood for ghosts and especially not a curly headed one.

“Okay, no thanks, mate.” Harry rectified, turning when Zayn popped beside him.

“I see we had another episode?” Zayn asked, a large grin on his face.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“What makes you say that?” Harry downplayed, knowing Zayn already knew what happened, given he was the ghost of the present.

“Well, he’s jugging down that scotch like it was water and I know everything that happens as it happens. Not a good idea to be holding your assistant hostage, mate.” Zayn antagonized, earning a grunt from Louis as a response.

“I see he’s gone from dismal to tolerable. Maybe he should invest in a liquor brewery?” Zayn suggested.

Louis grunted again and slammed the good-sized scotch on the island across from the ghosts and sat down.

Niall popped onto the third stool, looking more sullen than usual.

“Rough job?” Zayn asked him, meeting his cold dead steel blue eyes.

Niall nodded.

Harry copied his motion knowing all too well, furrowing his eyes when Niall showed them his last job.

“Oh boy,” Harry muttered, an image coming into his own mind. “Louis? We’ll see you tonight, you’re going to be preoccupied for the next few hours, so try not to get too bladdered. I’ll be back at midnight.” Harry promised, going to disappear.

“You ghosts pop in and out of here like you own the place, don’t you have someone else to haunt?” Louis snapped bitterly.

“No, you’re our last job.” Harry answered back calmly, waiting to see if Louis would say anything else and he certainly didn’t disappoint.

“So, I’m what’s standing between you gents and eternal rest?” Louis smirked, pleased he had some sort of power and the ghosts certainly didn’t appreciate the blatant threat that accompanied the question.

Harry put his hand down, a dark shadow of black aura green flashing across his dead eyes.

“Yes, but not only ours, yours too. Don’t you ever wonder about which side of the spectrum Simon ended up on?”

“Hell. There is no wonder. He was cut throat, savage and brutal, but he was my mentor and I learned everything I knew from him.” Louis took another sip from his bottle and snorted. “Though, I suppose there are worse things than Hell, yeah? Like your job. How did you three even manage to get this way?”

Niall shook his head and threw out something to Zayn.

“Niall says that there most definitely are worse things than Hell and Niall was never human, in case that wasn’t already a dead giveaway. He is the nonexistence, not what is. He isn’t the past like Harry, he is not the present like me or even the future, which happens to be my girlfriend. He is merely a form of possibility to what can or will become.” Zayn explained.

“He said all that to you?” Louis asked in disbelief.

“More or less. Niall has never spoken, so it makes playing charades with him quite the party.” Zayn winked, making Harry roll his eyes and Niall flip him off.

“I’d tell you to loosen up curly, but that ship’s long sailed.” Zayn bantered, his head snapping sideways to follow the flying scotch bottle that whizzed right through him and hit the pure white ceramic wall behind the three bickering ghosts.

The shattering glass was deafening, but didn’t deter Zayn in the least.

“I had a cannonball take my head off, mate. You’re about a hundred and some odd years too late to do anymore damage.”

“Jesus bloody Christ, will you just shut up! I just want to get drunk and get high and pass the fu –“ Harry slammed his hand against the island with a warning look, making Louis recourse his rant. “the fork out! Can’t you three just fork off, for fork forking sake!” Louis was screaming by the time he finished, every word louder than the last.

“No. Besides, pissing you off is about the only joy I get to have at the moment, but with respect to your wishes, we are ghosting out again. Later, mortal.” Zayn waved, turning invisible but still staying in the chair.

Harry pursed his lips into a thin line, eyeing Louis wearily, mostly because of the threat earlier, so he decided to leave him with some fat to chew over – sorta speak.

“You asked us before about there being a worse place than Hell? Yes, there is. It’s worse than what we do and no, we don’t know why we didn’t move on, but for almost four hundred years, I’ve seen and experienced the pain of others. It sucks, because I myself cannot feel anything for my life or death. I want to feel sadness, I want to feel pain and I can only do that through the grief of others, not my own,” Harry explained, his low voice a bit more defeated.

“So consider yourself lucky that you have a chance to redeem yourself. Be glad it isn’t too late. Simon wasn’t so fortunate as you’re going to see. Think on that and I will see you at twelve.” Harry finished, turning invisible again and glaring and Zayn.

“As for you – “Harry started, but Zayn put his hand up in front of Harry’s face.

“Don’t even start with me, Macbeth. I’m keeping my promise – sorta. It’s not my fault the bloke is a stubborn arsehat.” Zayn defended, taking a hit of his cig and throwing it onto the tile floor, the fag materializing away when it hit the ground.

He took out another one and lit it.

Harry shook his head, still not understanding the point, but he supposes it was just Zayn’s old habits following him into death – which he took to guessing was chain smoking.

“Good thing you’re already dead, mate. If you weren’t, you would be by now from all the smoking you did.” Harry told him, noticing Niall remained visible and was staring Louis down.

Louis took it as a challenge and stared right back, a dark look crawling to his face.

“Listen, creepy mcCreeperson – I don’t know why you’re still here and I assume your friends are still around, but I really would like to have the illusion of being alone for a few ho – “Louis paused when Niall pointed to his landline phone.

It began to ring.

Louis groaned, standing up and kicking the stool back, walking to the back wall behind him and answering.

“This is Louis Tomlinson, I’m sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now as my mind has run away from home, please leave a message and I will get back to you next Tuesday to never. Beep.” He snapped, grunting when Liam spoke from the other line.

“Lou? Hey, I just got a call from Allure. She’s at children’s hospital.” Liam yelled through what could be described as a busy airport.

“And? How does this concern me?” Louis rolled his eyes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Her son’s coma – she asked me to come but I can’t be there and I figure since you –“Louis cut Liam off.

“I think there’s a bad connection here, Liam. because I could just have sworn you asked me to go to a…children’s hospital. I know that can’t be right or you have mistakenly called the wrong number,” Louis bit back, eyeing Niall who was staring at him with a stern melancholy expression. “Actually, what is this about?” He decided to color his curiosity, not breaking eye contact with the spooky ghost.

“And has anyone ever told you that your eyes could freeze fire?” Louis asked Niall while simultaneously speaking to Liam.

“No, I’ve never had anyone tell me my eyes can freeze flame and for God sake, Louis, I’m dropping my ex-wives at the airport and taking the kids, I cannot just leave –“ Liam started, growing silent when Louis spoke again.

“Therein lies your problem, mate. You realize that they call them exes for a reason, no? Ex is the former antecedent of together – meaning those mangy mankey mutts are just exploiting you for free rides, money and child support that obviously doesn’t go to the kids – not that I give a rats ar –“ Louis stopped his rant short when Niall’s eyes darkened in silent warning.

“Anyhow, no, I’m not going to the bloody children’s hospital – unless they’re serving free alcohol and antidepressants,” Louis compromised, walking and settling back into his chair at the island, still eyeing Niall. “And if you’re not careful, mate, your face is going to stick like that.”

“The hell is bloody wrong with you today?!” Liam exploded. “You’re being more of a prick than usual, Louis. I’d ask what’s wrong, but the damnation if you’re gonna tell me, right?”

Louis hummed out an agreement.

“I’ve got ninety-nine problems today, Liam and I can’t even begin to explain the first ninety-eight of them. Anyway, give Allure my best and tell her I will see her bright and early tomorrow at the next location and if she’s not there, I will fire her. Pass that on to her as my Merry Christmas. Lots of love to your little ankle biters and as for your minxy manks of ex-wives – tell them I hope their plane goes down and that they scream as they burn alive in a fiery crash,” Louis finished his rant with gritted teeth, before adding something in as an afterthought. “Oh, and tell Allure I hope her kid’s doing better.”

With that he hung up and slammed the phone down onto the top of the counter, noticing Niall was still sitting there as still as ever.

“Will you move or something? That’s kind of unnerving me.” Louis huffed, seeing Niall furrow his eyebrows down and smile.

“Yeah, I got nothing to add to that. Anyhow, if you demon spooks need me, I’ll be in the living room, slamming my head into a wall until I am either unconscious or stop seeing hallucinations. I am going to chalk you all up to LSD in my coffee from earlier this morning, it tasted a bit off, probably thanks to that slaggle sloggle something or other,” Louis accused, looking at Niall and finished his farewell. “You three have a nice night, let me know how that soul-searching thing goes.” Louis stood up and saw a cigarette suddenly materialize and roll its way over to him.

Louis noticed the dark paper of the fag and frowned while picking it up.

“Okay, not an LSD hallucination – so that means ghosts are real and one just handed me a cigarette that is over a hundred years old?” Louis reasoned with himself, nodding. “Yup, because that makes sense.”

He walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the ringing of the telephone as it started up again.

Niall went invisible, eyeing Harry and Zayn when he did so with a shrug, answering their unasked query.

“Okay, so we went from demon children-men to demon spooks to hallucinations? Can I have some more fun, Harry? Pretty please with a dead worm on top?” Zayn asked, getting ready to turn into a ten-foot lizard.

“No, we need him calm tonight. The cigarette trick was quite enough.” Harry warned, sending him a strict look.

Zayn shrugged.

“Fine.” He relented, seeing Niall stand up with his scythe already materializing in his hand.

“Follow you?” Zayn asked when Niall motioned them with his other hand before disappearing.

“Think that’s what he wants us to do.” Harry confirmed, popping out in a mist of red to where Niall had gone.

Zayn stood there and looked out toward the living room where Louis had gone, smirking and getting ready to transform into his lizard form again.

“DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!” Harry screamed in his head, reappearing beside Zayn and forcing him to where Niall stood.

“Spoiled sport,” Zayn muttered, his eyes catching sight of a woman beside a child, his small figure lying comatose in the spacious hospital bed. “Oh.” He frowned in realization.

“Allure’s child.” Harry realized, stepping to the side of the bed and looking down at his small body with a frown.

Niall stepped beside Harry, also looking down. His icy blues a lot more tired looking, especially with the increase of jobs.

Zayn chose to put out his cigarette and walk to the foot of the bed and look over to observe.

“He’s young – so’s she, what’s her story?” Zayn gestured to the woman who slept hunched into the chair.

“Rape victim, her uncle’s friend, New Year’s Eve party, eight years ago. The boy’s seven and her Uncle’s friend was never charged due to a connection he had in the department. She was thirteen at the time, had her son at fourteen.” Harry broke down, his hand going to the tyke’s shoulder. “She never wanted to be famous, but the bills for treatment were overwhelming and she has a pretty voice. Louis saw her talent. So, he leant her the advancement as she agreed she would be able perform. If she doesn’t, he can sue her.” Harry commentated what he saw from the girl’s past, the amount of sadness flowing through him was painful as most of the boy’s and her life were spent in hospitals.

“That’s no life to have, is there nothing they can do?” Zayn asked, looking at Niall for an answer.

Niall shook his head and threw an image at the other two spirits.

It was an image of the boy, his lifeless body covered over with a sheet. It was the image of what was to come – what was about to be.

Harry nodded.

“Then we’re here for? If you got your order, why did you bring us along?”

Niall pointed to Allure and then pointed at Zayn and then back to Allure.

“I wish you would just bloody say what you needed to, mate. Your pictures and charades are getting daunting to try and piece together.” Zayn muttered seeing Niall lift his scythe and gently swoop it down, touching one of the small lad’s fingers.

Light started to glow around the opening of where the blade had touched and that allowed Niall to reach down and grab the dying light.

Harry and Zayn watched the transparent fluorescence shift form and the small aura suddenly took shape again into the same structure that now laid in the physical world, alive no more.

The first thing the boy noticed was the three older men standing around him and the second one was his mum.

His eyes lit up.

“Mum!” He ran over to in front of her. “Mum, I feel better now! We can go home!” He exclaimed happily.

Zayn frowned and Harry just looked at Niall with a look of disbelief.

“Niall?” Zayn tried, but Niall’s eyes were focused on the heart monitors and the sudden frantic beeps that screamed around the small room.

The little boy frowned when Allure jerked awake and began to yell for help, her arms frantically reaching onto the boy’s physical form in the bed and crying out to the heavens.

“Mum? Mum, I’m right ‘ere. Don’t cry.” The little boy pleaded, not understanding the happenings around him, not even as the doctors rushed in with the defibrillator or when they pulled his mum away from him out of the room.

Niall took the confused boy’s hand and lead him to the side of the room, gesturing Zayn out the door and for Harry to follow him with the boy.

The boy was confused, but allowed Niall to walk him to a quieter corner.

Zayn walked out into the hall where Allure was and Harry obediently followed next to Niall, kneeling down so that he was eye level with the boy.

“Hey there, Michael. Don’t be scared, okay?” Harry soothed, knowing that spirits couldn’t cry and the boy didn’t look to upset, just confused.

“Not scared, what’s goin’ on?” He asked, eyeing Niall and then Harry again. “Why is mum crying?”

A beat of silence followed his query and Harry looked at Niall, who gestured for him to explain.

Harry cleared his throat.

“Well, she’s crying because she’s sad. She has to say goodbye to you. You’re going someplace else, somewhere nice.” Harry forced a smile, which would have brought out the cutest dimples if he had still been alive.

“Goodbye? But I’m not leaving mum, I’m better. We can go home.” Michael frowned, his face becoming visibly upset.

“Oh boy,” Harry murmured, eyeing Niall.

He continued for him to explain further.

“You’re not being very helpful here, mate.” Harry told him, trying to keep the smile from slipping off his face. He simply sighed and tried again.

“Son? You are going home, but it’s not with your mum. Your mum has to say here and look after herself. Don’t you want to be able to play and run around all day without getting tired? You can now and you don’t ever need to sleep. No more pain, no more doctors.” Harry tried to convince him, but Michael was not so easily fooled.

“Why can’t I go home with mum or why can’t she come with me?” He asked, puzzlement slipping onto his face to replace the look of angst.

Niall turned the little boy around gently, kneeling down onto the hard-white floors and wordlessly pointing to the doctors that were now clearing the bed.

“Time of death: 8:57PM.” One of the doctors announced, his words as toneless and cold as the room itself.

Allure could be heard crying outside and yelling for Michael, but wasn’t permitted to reenter.

Michael realized what Harry had meant then, the sight of himself being covered with a sheet.

“That’s me.” He frowned, walking over to the bed and staring in wonderment at his now covered body, reaching out to get a better look.

Niall was over and gently moving his hand away, shaking his head and Harry was joining them a moment later to make sure the lad would be alright.

“I don’t wanna leave mum. She needs to know I’m alright.” Michael insisted, looking up at Niall, who again shook his head.

“Then, I’m not going.” Michael huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and puffing out air that he didn’t even need to.

Harry chuckled, even if the physical and mental anguish surrounding them all was beating down on his soul, it was still nice to see innocence and naivety.

“If you want, you can hold your breath forever too, luv, but that won’t change anything. You need to let Niall guide you, help you to where you need to be.” Harry tried to appeal to the boy, sitting in the chair next to him that Allure had occupied minutes before.

Michael took Harry’s advice and held his breath stubbornly.

Niall shook his head, though he did let a small sideways grin slip passed.

Harry took a breath, chuckling.

“How about this? We’ll go out to the hallway and you can say goodbye. She won’t be able to see you, but she will be able to feel you and you can tell her that you will see her soon. Will you let Niall help you if we do that?” Harry compromised.

Michael nodded enthusiastically, letting his breath out.

“But will I see her again?” He asked, not missing a beat.

Niall seemed more stiff when he nodded.

Harry certainly didn’t overlook that one, realizing that’s why he had sent Zayn out into the hall. He had known or sensed something amiss.

“Come on, let’s go say goodbye.” Harry ushered, taking his hand and leading him out into the hall and out to a waiting room.

Allure’s cries could be heard echoing down the hall, but they grew even louder when Harry and Michael entered.

She was hunched down against one of the stiff metal chairs, hiding her face into her knees to try and stiffen her anguish.

Harry nodded to Michael and he went over to his mum, throwing his small arms around the chair. They went through his mum as his spirit was still new to the outside world and not very strong, but it was his presence that seemed to pacify the tortured woman.

“Why?” Was all she managed to choke out, sobbing again.

If Michael could, he looked like he’d be crying right along with his mother, but he couldn’t feel pain anymore. He could understand it, but – he just couldn’t feel it and in a sense, Harry was glad of that.

“I don’t know, mum. I was sick and then I’m better?” He asked, looking up at Harry.

Harry could only force out another smile, feeling like his face might freeze if he tried any harder.

The small waiting room had metal chairs, a grey charcoal carpet and off colors of faded white walls with a few coffee tables and magazines, though the lights inside were dimmed inside, leading Harry to assume it wasn’t in use as the only one in there at the moment, at least physically, was Allure.

“They said I have to go home now, mum – but I don’t want to. I want to go with you so we can play.” Michael insisted, wishing his mum could hug him back.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye before he slipped into the coma. I was working, please let me say goodbye.” Allure pleaded to the open air, the silence around her deafening, but even in the physical anguish, there was something comforting near her, she felt it.

“It’s not too late, luv.” Harry told her, knowing she couldn’t hear him.

Michael knew he needed to leave, he felt the small bout of urgency begin to build within him, it was hard to explain into words, but he was better and knew his mum would be okay too eventually.

“I love you, mum and I’m gonna miss you.” Michael whispered softly to her, leaning back and standing again in time to see Zayn and Niall standing by Harry.

Niall held out his hand and then nodded at Zayn.

Zayn took out a cigarette and lit it, puffing away at the tip with agitation, his good mood and joking personality no longer apparent.

Michael and Niall disappeared, leaving Harry to sit beside Zayn.

“Louis is a donkey’s arse crack. She needs someone here with her and he can’t be arsed. That’s it, I’m turning into a ten-foot lizard and eating him. Let’s see how he feels about THAT for a bloody hallucination.” Zayn growled, throwing his cigarette onto the ground and disappearing.

Harry sighed and looked at Allure, wanting nothing more than to join her in the flood gates, but he didn’t. He simply absorbed her pain and took it in as glances of her past flew through his mind.

He saw more good in her than he did in a lot of people these days and that comforted him.

“You’re a good person, Allure. Just hang in there and I promise that it will get easier. Now, not to sound insensitive, because truly I’m not, but I hear Louis screaming and I need to go calm down Zayn before he actually causes irreversible psychological damage to the man we’re trying to help. Hopefully when this night is over; your boss will have learned some valuable lessons – like not piss Zayn off, which is something he’s learning right now.” Harry hurried and popped back to Louis’s place to help Niall control a pissed off ten-foot lizard ghost – which wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Louis, for lack of small mercies, had passed out against the back wall he had cowered in.


	6. Chapter 6: Follower

Louis jerked up from the couch, a deafening scream leaving his mouth.

“DON’T EAT ME!” Louis screamed with plea, jerking his head around the dark room erratically, his heart beating eccentrically in his chest.

A lizard with glowing red eyes and the howl of a banshee. That’s what he had encountered and he wasn’t really sure, but Louis almost positive he peed himself slightly before running towards the door, only to be cornered into a wall and pass out from the pure sigh of it.

Though, did he? He was on his expensive leather couch instead of in the corner and his body was lavished by the expensive pillows that the leather provided.

“I think I’m losing my mind.” Louis muttered with a frown, throwing the blanket that had been draped over him.

He got up from the couch and decided to go into the white walled kitchen, it truly was a work of beauty with the two light fixtures and the island with all the latest appliances that were scattered about.

Being rich had its perks.

“Dinner.” Louis decided, the clock reading 10:15PM and he knew that he wanted something light – so he opened the fridge and took out a self-microwaving pizza.

He took it out of the box and put it onto a plate, setting it into the microwave for the correct time.

“Harry? You around?” Louis called hesitantly, seeing his vodka bottle sitting whole on the island instead of smashed in pieces on the floor against the wall. “Score. Something that’s going right for a change.”

He went up to the bottle and griped it, taking a swig of the bitter liquid.

“Man, that was some trip.” Louis sighed in relief, rubbing his forehead when Harry didn’t appear – well, with all the evidence, it was obvious that his mind conjured them up somewhere and he dreamt the whole thing.

At least, that’s what it appeared to be. He wasn’t sure of anything at the moment because that lizard demon appeared extremely real.

His head snapped around when he heard his oven door creak open.

“Okay, weird.” Louis muttered, taking another swig of alcohol and going to close the oven door.

Just as he did that, there was a knock at the door.

“You know what? I’m going to put a sign on that says ‘kick Louis in the nut sack day’ because I can’t seem to get a leg to stand on.” Louis growled, going to answer the door.

He jerked it open, ready to give whoever a piece of his mind – but there was no one there. The streets were bare and his neighbors were off vacationing for the Holidays.

“Quote the raven nevermore.” Louis shrugged, shutting the door and heading back into the kitchen to enjoy his microwaved pizza.

He noticed the microwave had stopped, the light and timer already off.

Taking a few strides he opened his microwave, reaching in, pausing when he saw his vodka bottle in there instead.

“What the bloody elf arses is going on here? Didn’t I put pizza –“ He trailed off, looking around suspiciously.

“Zayn?! HARRY?! This isn’t funny!” Louis yelled, taking the bottle out of the microwave and slamming it on the counter.

Zayn and Harry sat at the island, watching as a different ghost, who had just done all this in a span of twenty seconds turned to grin at them.

“He’s funny.” The ghost proclaimed.

Zayn popped an eyebrow.

“Exactly where did you come from, lad?” He asked the older teenager, who was now leaning into the freezer and shaking the structure.

The boy shrugged.

“Followed ya’ll back from hospital, it gets boring there. I been there for bloody ever and unhooking the heart monitors no longer excites me.” The teenager told them, jumping up and down, making the appliance jump with him.

“You left a trail, I followed it here.” He continued with a cocky hum.

“Stop scaring the mortal and you better be gone by the time Niall gets back, mate. You won’t like what he’ll do to you. You won’t like what will happen.” Harry warned, frowning when Louis screamed out for him again, but because it was almost eleven and the night was going to be longer for him, he needed to reserve his energy for his appointment.

The teenaged boy let out a dark chuckle, zipping to the front door and knocking again.

Louis jumped.

Zayn just watched on, not entirely bemused, but it was slightly annoying that Louis was accusing them of spooking him – though, he can’t say he is entirely surprised.

The ghost rang the doorbell continuously, zipping back in and taking the pizza out of the fridge, throwing it up at the ceiling and into the chandelier when Louis rushed to the front door again.

“Lad? I’m all for scaring him, mate. Trust me, nothing would give me the greatest of pleasures, but Harry is right – you need to leave. Why the hell did you follow us anyhow?” Zayn asked, looking up to see the semi frozen pizza just hanging there. The kid had taken the one that was cooking and put it back in the freezer before replacing it with the vodka bottle – that he had somehow pieced together and filled back up.

“You were pissed and I just followed the scent of misery. It stinks of it in here, but the aroma to me is quite…delectable.” The dead teenager smirked, his eyes passing over in shadow to pure black.

Harry paused.

“Oh shit. Zayn?” Harry began, his voice dropping.

“Uh-huh – that is most definitely not a ghost – or a deadling – or a teenager. Maybe Louis should have picked up some holy water and a cross after all. NIALL?! PROBLEM!” He called, seeing Niall pop back in time to see the new comer.

His eye brow quirked in confusion, pointing at him and then sending a questioning look to Zayn.

“Yeah, that’s the el-problemata, mate. You need to send it back, like, pronto.” Zayn told him, seeing Niall’s scythe materialize.

“Oh please; he’s a death spirit, what the hell can that possibly do to me? Besides, I’m only having a bit ‘o’ fun,” The boy smirked, hearing Louis scream for Harry.

“Fun is over, because If I can’t eat him as a hallucination, you can’t screw with him as a demon.” Zayn folded his arms across his chest.

Harry rolled his eyes the same time as the demon did.

“I thought you told Louis that you had a better chance of finding a leprechaun under a rainbow with a pot of gold?” Zayn questioned dryly, his eyes following the pizza as it flew out of the chandelier and right towards Louis.

Louis hit the ground quickly, shock on his face.

“HEY!” Louis exclaimed.

The demon boy flung the vodka bottle, shattering it against the wall exactly how it had been before, nearly missing Louis’s body as the shards exploded.

“Well I guess we found the bloody leprechaun and his forking pot of gold because – “Harry gestured sarcastically. “We hit the jackpot and not only found one, it decided to follow us back here like a lost little puppy.”

The demon let out a cackle, his eyes narrowing at the human on the floor that was crawling back towards the living room.

Niall lifted his blade back and let it swing forward to try and strike down the entity.

“Puppy? That thing looks like it fell out of the f*ck me tree, hit every branch on the way down and then just for shits and giggles got slapped by an ugly stick about twenty million times and then crapped out of a rhino’s arse.” Zayn antagonized.

The demon was no longer laughing and had disappeared the moment Niall’s blade slung forward.

“Zayn, you just had to – “Harry stopped, noticing the demon was gone and Niall was looking around, having missed his mark when he swung. If Zayn and Harry weren’t busy bickering, they would have been aware of this.

“You need to save your energy. We’ll deal with the little fire hellion later. He’s a bottom of the barrel demon anyhow, barely a worry. “Harry insisted, seeing that the clock read 10:25PM.

“We all need to try and reserve what we have. I vote going for a recharge.” Harry suggested, eyeing Niall who gave him a questioning look, pointing out towards the living room where Louis was still persistently screaming and threatening death at them – which was sort of ironic, considering.

“He needs to calm down.” Zayn rolled his eyes, projecting what Niall was getting at, before cutting Louis’s yelling off with the wave of his hand.

Harry sighed and followed Zayn’s lead, the screaming instantly stopping and Louis’s body dropping to the floor once more.

“I shutoff the channel, he can scream as much as he needs to without us having to hear it,” Harry said, zapping into the living room and helping the now ghosted bloke back on the couch. “Sorry, Louis.” Harry apologized to him, even if Louis couldn’t hear or see him.

“So, we’re not worried about the damned paramour from Satan’s ass crack coming back?” Zayn asked, popping beside Harry.

“No, it’s gone for now; probably went to cause trouble elsewhere.” Harry looked at Niall when he popped beside him on the other side, making the couch quite full with all four of them.

Zayn snorted.

“Yeah, be a little hard to show him his path to righteousness if he’s possessed.” He retorted, sitting down and tuning in to hear Louis screaming.

Harry shrugged.

“It can’t unless Louis lets it. This isn’t what we really needed tonight though, that’s for sure. Those things are a nuisance and he followed us back for some other reason. I don’t know what, but something reeks and it’s not the sulfur. I’m the ghost of bloody past, not a demon analogist, but – you would have some sort of clue as to why he would specifically follow us here, wouldn’t you?” Harry asked Zayn.

Niall raised his hand knowingly.

“That’s not helpful mutesy and no, I don’t know. Demons don’t really have pasts or presence or futures. They just find a person and latch on like a tick until they drain the living will out of them and then move on. Between us, might even be the reason it will stick around. It knows misery loves company and if that’s the case, then Louis is the all you can eat buffet,” Zayn explained, taking another drag of his cig. “That thing might eat itself to death with all the torment this bloke generates.”

Harry sighed, rubbing the side of his temple.

“Whatever. We got bigger issues than some demon, yeah? Since I’m up first, I’m going to go and recharge. He should unghost when I disappear. So, if you stick around – “Harry gestured to the man on the couch. “Well, I don’t need to forewarn you.”

Zayn smirked, noticing Niall sat there patiently with his hand still raised.

“One word, four letters?” Zayn quipped sarcastically, earning a slap in the head from Harry.

“Leave him alone. Zayn. God, I think my punishment is being stuck working with you, because you are almost intolerable,” He growled at Zayn, looking to Niall. “What’s up, Niall?” Harry asked, seeing an image thrown into his mind of the demon, his presence lingering around Allure.

The entity was whispering gently in her ear, looking directly ahead and winking at them.

The image disappeared straight after.

“That’s not our focus of concern. Louis created this situation, he needs to fix it.” Harry said, disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke to recharge.

Louis sprung up from the couch, screaming silently to the heavens.

Zayn and Niall quickly jumped off the couch. Since Harry wasn’t there and Zayn followed with his own wave to free his voice.

“STOP BLOODY POSSESSING ME YOU FUC –“

Zayn nodded towards Niall, both disappearing and leaving Louis to continue his ranting; though Zayn would have been happy to stick around to speak idiot to him to explain the pizza incident if it weren’t for the fact that Harry had a point about needing to recharge.

“I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!” He finished his long rant with a huge exhale of bottled up huff.

Louis waited for them to reappear, especially to explain why they were tormenting him when all he wanted to do was eat dinner and go to bed to put the whole damning situation behind him. As far as he was concerned, up was down and down was up. His world could not get anymore jumbled than that.

His landline rang, making him groan and get up from the couch to walk back into the kitchen.

He grabbed the cordless phone with a strong grip, answering it.

“Santa forking Christmas speaking, what the hell do you want?! Harry, if this is you – I’m going to re-kill you and make you scream like a dickless wanker –“

“Louis! It’s me. Christ on a Christmas cracker, mate. Calm down on the steroids.” Liam told him in a calm and gentle voice, making sure not to wake his kids up.

“Screw you in the pie hole with a pine cone! I will NOT calm down, BECAUSE I AM CALM!” He screamed the last part out, noticing the clock read 10:55PM.

“Did you go to see or check up on Allure? She’s not answering my calls and it’s going straight to voicemail now. I want to make sure she’s alright.” Liam asked, dismissing his boss’s attitude.

Louis glared ahead, going to sit on the island.

“Why the hell would I check up on her, Liam? Checking up on someone would imply that I cared and that is simply not the case with Allure. I couldn’t be concerned any less if I tried. My responsibility ends when she finishes the job she’s legally obligated to complete. The only thing I care about is the money she makes me. That is all she is to me, so stop bothering me on her welfare because I simply could give a dog’s bollocks.” Louis ranted, standing up and continuing without a breath. “Another thing, mate. I’ve changed my mind. The office is open tomorrow and I want you in thirty minutes earlier than normal. If you don’t, then don’t bother to think you have a job and I will damn well make sure you can’t get employment anywhere else. So, sleep on that and I’ll see you and everyone else bright and early.”

Louis hung up and threw the phone at the wall, smashing it into pieces so it could no longer bother him with its vexing ring.

“Bloody bottom feeders. You can’t expect to get something for nothing. Liam should know that by now. I don’t do charities. If you want something in this life, you pay for it.” Louis growled, walking to the fridge and taking out a carton of milk, opening the top and drinking directly from the carton.

11:00PM

The digital clock taunted on his stove.

He threw the empty carton of wholesome goodness into the rubbish bin and turned to look for something to eat.

Unfortunately, he never got that far as his whole house started to shake.

“Mother of Jack Nicolson! There’s no earthquakes in England! WHAT THE HELL?!” Louis screamed over the vibration, the lights flickering and the glass crystal chandeliers shaking from their structure, landing on top of the island as the other fell off to the side on the floor.

Fifteen seconds went by and then a loud crash sounded in the living room.

One thing was for sure, Louis was not having a good day.

A few things still swayed unevenly, but the shaking stopped and in the stillness of the atmosphere, something uneasy began to fill Louis’s stomach.

“Harry? Zayn?” He called, his footsteps cautious and slow as he neared the threshold into his extravagant living room.

As he saw the state of it he let out a high-pitched scream.

The damage was tremendous. Everything but his couch and coffee table stood under a half-ton, already open vault.

Right in the middle of his luxurious room.

Someone was going to die…again.

“BLOODY MONKEY NUTS! Why do you spirits hate me so? What the bloody smurf dicks did I ever bloody f’in ever do to YOU?!” He demanded the still air, the sick pit of worry dissipating into rage at the poor state of his once beautiful home.

“You buried me in a rent a suit and left me to rot under holy ground, but to be fair – I’d have expected nothing less from my protégé.” Simon spoke from the couch he had apparently been resting on.

Louis’s head snapped so quickly to the voice that he could have sworn the force from the turn alone caused him to snap his neck.

“S-Simon? What the actual fuc –“

Simon cut him off.

“Louis? Come and sit down, lad. We’ve got a bit to discuss.” Simon called, his voice as calm as he had remembered it. Although, just because his voice was calm, did not mean that Simon himself was.

“No thanks, I’d rather stand here if you don’t mind.” Louis folded his arms across his chest and stayed as far away from Simon – or whatever he conjured up the hallucination to be.

“I’m not a hallucination, Louis. I’m asking you one last time and nicely at that, to come here and sit down. I need to show you something.” Simon beckoned, his body still draped in dark shadow so Louis could only see the outline since the kitchen light didn’t offer any more stretch to see fully into the darkened area.

“And If I don’t?” Louis challenged, hearing Simon sigh quietly and stand, the tinker of chains moving with him.

“Still the same lad I knew ten years ago, and normally I would congratulate you, but I’m afraid you’re in trouble and I am going to really need you to stop fooling around.” Simon insisted, lifting up his hand and waving it once to make a ghostly green light illuminate from it.

Louis got a look at Simon’s presence and opened his mouth again to scream at the sight.

Simon managed to get Louis to the couch before he completely passed out.

“Mate? You need to focus. I have an hour and there’s lots to discuss. Stay with me.” Simon insisted, but Louis saw the heavy black links of chain soldered into the dead flesh of his once respected boss.

“Y-w…” Louis stumbled, unable to form words.

Simon sighed and sat beside him.

“The chain in my back, the links expanded and it’s only a one-time deal, so listen good and listen close. You already met the three spirits that are going to help you. Take my advice and learn from them. Because if you don’t, my fate – it’s nothing compared to what awaits you.” Simon explained, lifting up a book from Louis’s table and flipping through it.

“Y-you’re…” Louis forced out in shock, his hand going to reach for the chain.

Simon grabbed his wrist before he could.

“Oh, lad; my punishment is just. Let me fill you in and I need to speak quick, because you have your twelve o’clock and Harry has a lot to show you.” Simon said, pocketing the book he had picked up to flip through.

Louis was so distraught, he didn’t even realize Simon had pocketed at least three other items – including an ipod.

“I don’t get how this affects me? I don’t see how there is any hope. I’m content to being who I have always been and screw anyone who thinks otherwise.” Louis argued, wanting to stand up when Simon did to make himself seem more intimidating, but given Simon still held himself as he always had and another fact that he was dead – yeah, Louis wasn’t going to challenge anything.

Simon whirled around, his voice booming off the walls.

“BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, THAT’S WHY!”

The vibration of his paranormal voice shook the room and made Louis freeze and backtrack.

“Okay and why the hell would you care?” Louis demanded, watching Simon go to another part of the room, shifting items around – well, more like pocketing them.

Simon was quiet for a moment, his chains tinkering as he moved to the front once more so he was in front of the younger male.

“Because I still see salvation. I still see hope and beauty in what you could become. It’s not too late…until it is and your time grows shorter, so my advice – “He paused, picking up Louis’s laptop and opening it, the bright screen illuminating his decaying ghostly flesh.

The years have not been kind to him, even if he had been dead.

“What’s your password?” Simon asked, rolling his eyes and typing in tits345, realizing Louis still really was the same boy he had left ten years prior.

“Never mind. Still haven’t changed, hm?” He asked sardonically, pulling up google and typing something in the search engine.

“What’s your advice, old man? You said you had to talk fast, so talk.” Louis huffed, becoming impatient with his mentor.

Simon finished his search, sliding it over to Louis as he did.

The page loading to show one simple news article and no link provided to it – at least not yet.

Louis’s eyes scowled at the title, but he remained silent at the sheer preposterous of it.

LOUIS TOMLINSON, MURDERED.

“Poppycock,” Louis insisted, slamming the laptop back down. “I don’t have any enemies and no one would be stupid enough to attempt it.”

Simon chuckled.

“None yet, lad, but my advice to you? Start keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer. Some may go further than others.” Simon advised cryptically with a smile.

Louis simply snorted.

“I have no friends and my enemies worked under your wing and they’ve long since moved on. I’m not worried.” Louis responded with a cocky smirk of his own.

Simon simply held the boy’s stare, before patting him on the shoulder.

“You will find that not all enemies will be in plain sight and the best of intentions in the rat race sometimes gets the owner bit. So, watch your rats, because they’re the ones you should watch out for.” Simon warned.

“Allure?” Louis asked, his perfect eyebrow cocked up.

“She isn’t a concern you will need to worry about for much longer. No, you will find out in time, but for now – you have a lot to come to terms with and I wish you all the best.” Simon said, reaching his hand out to shake Louis’s.

Louis placed his hand into Simon’s and shook it as he had done years ago, when Simon was alive. It held an agreement. An understanding.

“Then we have an accord? That you will try?” He asked Louis strictly.

Louis nodded, though cried out as a sharp piercing pain entered into the middle of his back, his flesh severing and twisting at a heavy invisible force that weighed him down heavily to his spot.

Simon didn’t seem phased and smiled at the boy.

“Good, because what you just felt was only one percent of the agony you will face if you do not start on the straight and narrow. Trust me lad, I want better for you and if you cannot get that through your thick head, I can only hope tonight’s events do.” He reached in and gave Louis a small half hug.

Louis was too stunned to really respond back, but managed a slight return of the older dead man’s embrace.

“I’ll keep an open mind. Just don’t expect a miracle.” Louis told him, blinking at the man.

Simon chuckled, his hand held upright.

“Goodbye, Louis. If that’s the case, I’ll be seeing you real soon.” He said darkly with promise, waving his hand and when Louis blinked, Simon and the safe were gone and his room was back in its original beautiful condition.

Louis’s nerves were spiked high as he reached over to the laptop to do more research – noticing it, along with two books and ipod had been nicked.

At least the heaviness and pain had gone the moment his boss had.

He sat there for a moment to try and get his head wrapped around Simon and then his missing items, leaving the only logical question to escape his heightened anxiety.

“Why would a ghost need to steal a laptop?” He asked aloud, the silence again meeting him with more questions than when he started – especially trying to work out how he was going to begin to explain the theft to police if he chose to make a report on it. He doubts accusing his dead boss of stealing his stuff would go over well, in fact, it’s safe to bet he’d end up in back of a paddy wagon for the efforts.

“Well, I been wanting a new laptop anyhow. Enjoy last year’s model you asshat son of a bitch.” Louis grumbled, hoping Simon heard him.

It wasn’t long until the hour struck midnight and with it, Harry reappeared wearing a white terry piece of clothing wrapped neatly around him and a glow that illuminated the room in a gentle light.

Louis rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just skip the theatrics, yeah, Harry? Just show me what you’re going to show me and be done with it. I won’t be manipulated, least of all by you three anymore.” Louis told him flatly, making Harry smile softly and hold out his hand.

“Alright, then let’s go. Just grip my sleeve and I will take you to where it all began.” Harry agreed, his tone light and untroubled as it had been earlier.

Louis hesitantly reached out and did what Harry asked, screaming when his whole body felt like it was going at sonic speed, the white tunnels of light shooting forward.

He screamed again, his body landing in a patch of deep snow while Harry remained unaffected and upright.

“That wasn’t funny you stupid spook!” Louis grunted, getting up from the snow.

In front of Louis was a school – his school in fact; the very one where he had spent his early teenaged years.

“Good bloody shit biscuits, I’m back in hell.” Louis said, remembering his fondles memories of the ten circle of hell as far as he was concerned.

Harry smiled quietly and began to walk towards the building.

Louis reluctantly followed, muttering four letter words under his breath as he did.


	7. Chapter 7: Remember

Harry and Louis stood off to the side in a large auditorium, kids from all ages and backgrounds filed in single file through the front doors and into the bleachers on either side of the large and open space.

There was an important announcement and each student was required to attend for safety and educational purposes.

“You remember this day.” Harry noted, seeing the smirk crawling over Louis’s face.

Actually, Harry had never seen hid giddier.

“Oh, man, I remember this day like I remember the atomic bombs dropping in London in history class on the tele.” Louis responded, walking over to one of the bleachers and glancing over his old schoolmates. “There’s Nichelle; little snitch, that was his nickname.” He recalled thoughtfully, reaching over to see if he could slap the little ginger out of his seat.

Harry looked unamused and grabbed his arm.

“These are only memories, Louis. You can’t do anything. So, quit trying to cause problems, you can’t slap the ginger out of him and that attitude of yours needs to be put on a lead until we finish. You’re missing the point to all of this, lad.” Harry warned him.

“We only just got here, how much could I have possibly missed? I mean if you’re ready to call it a night -” Louis paused with a hum, his eyes shining a bit when his younger and smaller self, shoved his way through the bleak lines of the drab dressed students in nothing but a pair of basketball shorts and Doncaster jersey.

“Good morning, bitches!” Louis yelled throughout the stadium, taking his seat at the very top of the right-side bleacher and plopping down at the end of the row, his voice loud in the almost dead auditorium.

“What a delightful little lad.” Harry drawled sarcastically.

“I was far from a delightful lad, but youre the ghost of the past, you know perfectly well why. Now shush, my favorite part is coming up.” Louis said, shushing him when headmaster Bryans marched towards the bleachers Louis’s smaller self was residing at.

“Mister Tomlinson? Your clothing is unorthodox, go and change into school uniform.” Bryans demanded, beckoning the younger lad from the bleachers, making the little boy smirk even more.

Scarily enough, older Louis had an exact replica smirk the younger one currently wore.

“I would, sir, headmaster Bam-bam. Truly, but I’m afraid they’ve been nicked, when I opened my drawer this morning, I found this ransom note.” He told the headmaster with a dead straight face.

He handed it to his administrator, who in turn read it aloud.

“This is a ransom, if you ever want to see your school uniform alive again, bring two hundred pounds to the courtyard at three noon,” He read with disbelief, his lip almost turning with amusement – almost. “Signed, HAHA.” He looked at Louis, his face projecting as serious as he could manage.

“So, the kidnapper’s name is HAHA? How peculiar. Well, we’ll certainly have Scotland yard on the case within the hour.”

Little Louis snorted.

“Those dodgers couldn’t find a fart in a whoopi-cushion factory, mate. I say, best forget the uniform and go with casual dress.” Louis dismissed with his hand.

Headmaster Bryan was most certainly losing his amusement at that moment.

“Lad? You’ve been here two weeks and I’ve had teachers complain about you. In fact, that is the main reason that we have all been brought together here today. You and your wonderful achievements that you have decided to grace us with. If you brought more effort into your school work as you do your creativity – you may actually get far.” Bryan smiled and turned, but stopped Louis from returning to his seat.

“Actually, I am most curious Mr. Tomlinson – how did you cement Master Thompkins chair to the ceiling? We have been trying for three days now to get it down, but the cement appears to have bonded itself permanently with the plaster and though I do not encourage the destruction of school property – I have never seen a sight such as I have with four men hanging from a roof, trying to get a chair down off from it.”

Louis chuckled and glanced at Harry.

“I actually liked Headmaster Bam-bam. He was a rather fair administrator, sad when he had that heart attack the following year. One moment he was walking the halls and the next, he dropped to the ground.” Louis remembered with a frown.

“That would seem the pattern for those who stick around you. Poor bloke, you caused him more stress than he’d ever had admitted,” Harry chuckled lightly, his smile slowly dropping back to a serious expression. “You amused him, Louis. You were a clever lad and a nice kid, but that all changed, hm? Maybe the first question to ask yourself is when, not why or how.”

Louis snorted, folding his arms across his chest tighter.

“I already know the why and how. Piss off and let me trip down memory lane on my own terms here. I’m quite enjoying this.” Louis waved him off.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“Sorry to disappoint, but to sum it all up, you: Put a signup sheet for dissecting a human head on the teacher’s desk and had everyone sign their names to which part they wanted to cut up, you put an actual sheep head in a cooler you brought in while labeling it ‘human head’ and in the turn of events for strict amusement, you put it where the MATH professor would find it and when he opened it, made the teacher piss himself and faint dead on the floor, earning him a bad concussion when he went down, because he actually had a legitimate fear of blood.” Harry pointed out, covering the same exact explanation that Headmaster Bryan was explaining – only with a little less detail.

Louis was grinning bigger now with the memories, realizing that school had a certain appeal to it when pranks were concerned.

“I also stole eleven pheasants from the local farmers and spray painted numbers one through fourteen. Skipped nine, ten and eleven. They spent a week trying to hunt down nonexistent pheasants.” Louis picked up where Harry had taken a pause to watch the gym of students.

“Yep and just as well, you protested the homework your teachers gave you – I assume that’s why Thompkins got his chair steel cemented to the roof? He called you a blighting imbecil and told you that you would never be anything, wasn’t it?” Harry asked him, seeing Louis’s past play out like an old-style type movie in front of his eyes.

Louis’s demeanor darkened a little.

“Thompkins was a knob. I wasn’t stupid, but his course was rigorous and I had been dumped at this hell hole against my will and basically told ‘chin up, you’ll fall into line soon enough.’ But I didn’t and never could. because Louis Tomlinson takes orders from no one.” Louis proclaimed with a chuckle.

“Except for Simon, right?” Harry reminded him with a pointed finger.

Louis sobered.

“That bastard stole my laptop, tell him he owes me money for another one if you see his dead ass again, and yes – he was the only one whom I saw reasoning to listen to. He offered me something I never had before and he believed in me, unlike the wobbly whalers at this prison.” Louis spat. His stare zoning in on his younger self and saw the boy now sitting quietly in reflection and still pleased with himself, but not quite as satisfied.

“You were lonely.” Harry observed, noticing that none of the other children sat near him.

The feeling radiating from the small little boy was desolate. He didn’t understand why his mum and dad couldn’t get into his way of thinking. He was different than other children and he had only been brought home by the cops twice, but evidently that was enough to be tossed in a cab and sent six hours away.

“I was confused and angry. Loneliness has nothing to do with it, Harry. Remove your head from your arse and pay attention.” Louis snapped, the familiar feelings swarming around him like a hoard of buzzing bees.

“I won’t press, but I sense loneliness and anger. They are much stronger emotions you carry, even still today than the confusion that you assumed was just your parents being twats and deciding they didn’t love you.” Harry told him bluntly, slapping his shoulder gently.

“You don’t know shit, mate. Stop assuming, you weren’t there and you don’t know how I felt or what it was like.” Louis growled harshly, turning his back to walk out of the auditorium with Harry following closely behind.

“I’m the ghost of pasts, mate. I know bloody EVERYTHING!” Harry shouted the last word in frustration, scratching his head out of habit.

Louis swirled back and gave Harry a small push away from him.

“You don’t know this, you can’t possibly understand, you can only see – you can only feel, but you yourself don’t know, because you didn’t personally experience it. So, get the hell off my nuts before I punch you back to when you were bloody born.” He threatened.

Harry didn’t flinch away and simply put his hand on Louis’s shoulder gently, resignation igniting his lifeless green eyes while they looked at the man before him in empathy.

“That is my punishment. Knowing, seeing, feeling. It all comes together in the experience, so unfortunately, I do understand. You can look into a mirror and lie to your reflection, but it’s you. I don’t have to be you to know what I see, because I can view the memories and feel your pain, see every single movement that you make, every step you – “Louis cut him off.

“If you quote anymore to that song, I’m leaving.” He told him firmly without a smile.

Harry gave him a confused look, leaving his point moot.

“Everything I see and everything I show, benefits you someway. Don’t think me cruel, I am only doing my job.” Harry told him, allowing Louis to throw his hand off his shoulder and sulk away down the hall – mostly because little Louis ran passed them.

“Yeah? Well, your job forking sucks.” Louis told him melancholily.

Harry smiled.

“I’m not disagreeing.” He nodded, his feet moving down the smooth stone floors through the long-hallowed halls of the dead space around them, save for Headmaster Bryan’s words of wisdom and Louis’s small footsteps.

“How long did it take for the Headmaster to get the chair down off the ceiling?” Harry asked conversationally, quickening his pace some to keep up with the small boy.

Louis in turn followed.

“You’re the God of my all-knowing past, you tell me. It was a simpleton’s prank, mate. Hardly a pop in the hays worth of remembrance.” Louis dismissed, his mood soured by the familiar ache of rejection.

“Three months, wasn’t it? Thompkins was rather a livid sort.” Harry tried to get Louis focused and right now, they were on his childhood.

“Thompkins was a baah shagger. Sod was fired a year before I left, video online arose of him pissed as a drunken sailor and trying to pound a sheep with his Mcsausage. It did not end well for the sheep or him come to think of it.” Louis couldn’t help a small chuckle to escape his lips when he remembered.

Harry nodded, smiling a bit.

“His life was ruined. Admittingly, I am most surprised you didn’t post that video up yourself when you got it.” Halting in his steps when the little boy in front of them was suddenly slammed and thrown against the lockers by a much larger arm.

Louis’s eyes narrowed.

“My favorite part of this school if I had to name one, was the bully welcoming committee. I loved the way they just accepted me with open arms.” Louis snarked sardonically, folded his arms across his chest, wishing he could pop Jerry Larsen in the nose. He hated that kid and felt nothing still even today over what had happened to the boy.

Harry frowned a little deeper, coming to stand next to the child by the lockers.

“You wouldn’t feel that way if you knew of his life, but my time here isn’t to explain his, but to show you yours. Let me just say, it was far worse for him then what you will ever know.” Harry answered, motioning Louis over to the two young kids.

Louis marched up beside Harry, his body posture still in B-boy stance.

“Eat rat poison and die you little six toed maggot infested –“ Louis hissed, unable to help himself.

“Louis, you remember this moment, yeah? I believe something extraordinary happened to you.” Harry pointed.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows in thought, before snorting.

“Yeah, I met Liam and then we both got shoved in lockers because he didn’t believe in using violence unless the situation called for it. Round of applause golf style for the sheer display of heroics from captain moral muscles.” Louis rolled his eyes, smirking at the confrontation now taking place.

“Welcome to hell you little four-eyed twat.” Jerry Larsen beamed darkly, using his other hand to take Louis’s glasses off his nose and drop them on the ground.

A crunch was heard a second after.

“I wore contacts half on and half off, but glasses were more convenient. Hard time explaining to mum why I needed money for repair or replacements and half of me suspects she didn’t believe me after the second time.” Louis observed his younger self, the tiny form of his body struggling against the bully’s muscled size frame.

“She believed you, though you could have told the Headmaster. He would have done something.” Harry said, seeing younger Louis smile.

“Thanks, minge maggot. It’s a pleasure to be here in this shit hole with a crap stain like you.” The younger boy replied, using his knee as a weapon and aiming to hurt the older bully by making him sing soprano.

Harry popped an eyebrow.

“Hard to see why they didn’t like you. You were such a sweet and likable little lad.” Harry condescended, noticing the older boy used his foot to stomp down on Louis’s to stop him from using his knee.

“Payne already done did that.” Jerry spit at the younger boy, slamming his head into the locker.

“Payne?” Louis groaned, curiosity outweighing his plight at the moment.

“Been here a year, but I doubt you’ll meet him. He stays to himself mostly, which means he gets a break and I get to start on you. How lucky for him. The little freak was getting boring anyhow. You? You look fun.” Jerry smirked.

Louis’s young face dropped, his eyes thoughtful.

“I can be fun. I once shoved a carrot up my friend’s nose. He had to go to the hospital because I put superglue on the end of it.” Young Louis smirked, a threat in the undertone of his voice.

Harry looked at the older man.

“I won’t say you were sadistic exactly, but you had some issues that may have needed roller pinned out a bit.”

Louis rolled his eyes.

“Why are we seeing this? This is a pretty damned waste of time, don’t you think?” Louis asked, hearing Jerry whistle to his gang.

Louis remembered all six members of the Jerry Toad gang.

“Quite original these ones. The Jerry toad gang, named after the biggest prick to walk the halls. Though, toad suited him. He certainly was a slimy and deplorable cretonne,” Louis chuckled watching his younger self. “I got to meet Willie Wanker, Wally Walrus – “Louis recalled with faux fondness, earning a warning look from Harry.

“Louis? You can’t change the past, but you learn from it. What are you learning right now?” Harry encouraged, seeing the small glint in little Louis’s eyes.

“That I need to conceal my emotions slightly better? I always had that mischievous shine in my eyes before the pingity-popper went ding and the voice in my head screamed NOOOOOOO, but by that time it was usually too late and I had done it or was in mid-action.” Louis answered, making Harry groan.

“You can be a smartarse all you want, but you’re not going to like what I have to show you next. So, keep taking the piss out the situation; it’s only your soul. No big deal.” Harry drawled.

“Okay, well, can I give the toad a wedge then? Come on, surely we can have some fun?” Louis suggested, reaching forward to grip Jerry’s trousers – seeing his hands slip transparently through.

Harry was fighting off another mental headache; Louis truly did not get the concept of past reflections or souls to the damned.

“This is like a movie reel, Louis. You can’t alter what you are seeing in any way, because we are not in this time. We are simply revisiting and cannot change anything. Not even peeing on – “He paused, quickly backtracking to a threat when he saw some of the ideas going through Louis’s head. “Don’t you even dare think about it! God, you are worse than a child!” Harry finished strongly.

Louis huffed, taking his hands back and leaning against the wall to watch his younger self get the piss taken out of him.

“Meet my gang. Lads? This is Twat, he’s new.” Jerry introduced, slamming the younger boy’s head into the locker again.

“This is shitbreath, he’s an asshole.” Little Louis retorted back.

Harry looked from the little boy to Louis.

“I see not much has changed these past fifteen some odd years, hm?” Harry asked with retort, flinching when the bully jammed his knee up into Louis’s stomach.

“Yeah, hard to wonder how I turned out so awesome, isn’t it? I mean, with people like Jerry – who the hell needs enemies?” Louis rhetorically answered back with his own tight lipped grin.

Harry snorted.

“You know? You remind me of a fellow spirit I met once; he complained how it was everyone else’s fault he was dead, but when you eat almost two hundred pieces of sweets a day, knowing you are diabetic – you can only assume that they denied some sort of responsibility to end up where they were. You, Louis, have an uncanny sense of blame passing. Acknowledge that you are human and make mistakes, those are the first steps to humanity.” Harry offered, snapping his head back to the small boy again when he cried out.

Louis said nothing as he usually chose to do when he believed people to be wrong, because in his mind Harry had no leg of his situation. He lived in the past, not the present.

“You are correct, my time was past, but Zayn’s era is still present. Think of it how you like, this happened and you can’t bloody run from it. This right here, made you what you are.” Harry pointed, seeing younger Louis bring his head into Jerry’s, effectively headbutting him.

“Hardly.” Louis responded with a smirk, silently cheering himself on.

“So, you don’t think this shaped you then? There is hope yet, mate.” Harry nodded.

“Now I think you’re trying to confuse me on purpose, let’s just watch my younger self take the piss, yeah? That’s why we’re here after all, right?” Louis snapped, getting confused by Harry’s game. It wasn’t Jerry specifically, he just helped him in his discovery that being an arse-monkey can add for some entertainment.

“Some events can be helped and others can’t. This event could have, had you not headbutted the other boy, you two might have eventually ended up friends.” Harry chuckled knowingly.

Louis simply looked at him incredulously.

“Now I know you’re taking the piss from me, mate. No way in a million bloody years would I have been friends with the Toad there. I’d have rather castrated myself and cooked my own dick than associate myself with that low hanging boar.” Louis huffed.

“Too bad you didn’t know about his parents. He had none and his sister was in foster care, at least you still have your siblings, all together and with your mum.” Harry pointed out.

“YOU LITTLE TWAT!” The older boy cried, throwing him against the locker.

His gang pounced on younger Louis and held him to his spot, allowing Jerry to recover as they kept the younger boy ready for the next course of retaliation.

All the other personnel and students were still in the auditorium, unaware of the going on down the hall.

“Had a family. My mother died the same time my father did as far as I am concerned.” Louis dismissed placidly.

Harry nodded solemnly.

“Very well, that isn’t my department to deal with. However, maybe you should check up on your family – a suggestion only, because many things can be resolved by talking.”

“I have no family. Me, myself and I are the only people we need and I am quite content to relish my own company rather than the falsehood of others. Take your suggestions and put a choke on them, would you? I mean, how the hell could you know anything about family? Yours have been dead near four hundred years.” Louis snapped, feeling slightly guilty as it left his mouth.

He wanted to lash out at someone and Harry kept going, so he lashed out the most hurtful thing he could think of.

To his surprise, Harry just smiled gently, which annoyed Louis even more.

“I’m sorry your defense mechanism is to automatically be hurtful. It’s something you need to work on, but I also know you didn’t mean that.”

Louis growled, kicking the wall lightly.

“HEY!” A loud deep voice boomed over the halls, echoing in the dead stale air.

Louis rolled his eyes.

“It’s captain no violence to the rescue, my savior! ...not.” Louis retorted over excitedly, remembering Liam and his lax reaction to the other boys.

Harry decided not to egg Louis on. He was already upset, no use adding to it.

“Payne! Come meet the new twat! He’s a right princess this one.” One of the boys called out, Jerry in the meantime had taken to furiously unlocking one of the lockers.

“Never mind that, grab him.” Jerry ordered, his dark voice growling with authority.

Louis rolled his eyes.

“I may have been called princess, but at least I wasn’t a toad.” Louis retorted, making Harry shake his head.

“I don’t think you’re helping your case, mate. You ran away screaming like a girl today, from a church…in front of a congregation, after you vandalized them.” Harry pointed out.

“First century priests with no respect for symbolism! American was founded on symbolism, I mean, you see JB and you automatically think Justin Bieber.” Louis tried to make his own comparison.

“Who? And what’s America got to do with this?” Harry asked in confusion, flinching when the one locker was slammed open.

Louis wasn’t far from copying Harry as he watched his younger self get thrown into the small space and shut in.

Louis watched as the locker next to it was opened and though Liam was in no way as skinny or as short as Louis, he was shoved in all the same with slight more difficulty.

Jerry slammed his fist against the door to Louis’s prison with a triumphant laugh.

“Enjoy your time together, twats. I’ll see you around. Welcome to North London Academy, Louis. We are going to have a lovely few years together.” Jerry promised, laughing as he and the other lads stalked off, shoving one another as they left.

It was quiet for a moment between the two young boys, before Liam’s enthusiastic voice broke through the thick silence.

“My name’s Liam, you’re Louis. It’s nice to meet you,” Liam greeted politely, shifting a little and swearing silently. “Bollocks, the door pinned my arms down or I could jimmy the lock.”

Louis didn’t speak from the locker, though he did start to thrash around and call for help.

Older Louis chuckled.

“The next year after this, Liam was too big to get put into the lockers, but I still fit. I fit up until my early teens, right before I left. Liam gave me his phone number and anytime Jerry put me into the lockers, I’d call Liam and he would know where they had stuffed me thanks to a tracker we had set in our phones.” Louis remembered with a fond remembrance.

Harry nodded.

“He certainly seemed like a good friend to you, even still now and if you don’t mind me saying so, you haven’t been very kind to him in recent years, I’m surprised he sticks around, but I also know he has his reasons.”

Louis snorted.

“I’ve done shit to him, in fact, he was an assistant of mine when I got famous and I made sure he was well taken care of throughout the time we were roommates in that shit job – “Louis’s rant was cut short.

“A coffee job, wasn’t it? The job he helped you get. That’s actually where we’re going next, but first – we have two more places to visit and you’re not going to like either of them.” Harry warned, listening to the two kids start to talk in the lockers – well, more like Liam begging Louis to calm down.

“I don’t like any of this! Where the hell are we going now?” Louis demanded, wanting to help the poor kids in the locker. “And did you know him and I were stuck in those lockers for two hours?”

“I did. As for where we’re going? Does December 24th, two years later ring any bells?” Harry asked, making Louis’s head snap towards him.

“Yup, it does and that’s a big forking not gonna happen. Excuse me.” Louis said, going over to the third locker and trying to open it.

Harry’s eyebrow hunched up.

“What are you doing? We need to go.” Harry urged stepping forward.

Louis gave up and decided ‘when in Rome’ and stepped in through the locker to get inside of it, even though it was all transparent and it didn’t help him anyhow.

“You are about to show me the worst moment of my life. That’s not happening. I already felt that pain once, you are not ruining my life again.” Louis told him blatantly, folding his arms across his chest.

Harry let out a snort through his nose, but it wasn’t in amusement.

“Louis, if you don’t cooperate; I will have to ghost you again. Please follow me.” Harry encouraged, beginning to walk down the hall.

Louis decided that wasn’t happening and ran the rest of the way through the locker and outside across the snowy field picking up the white ice and looking around for Harry.

Harry appeared a few steps behind Louis, his transparent figure aglow in the London sunset that paled through him.

“Louis.” Harry called softly, making Louis yell and turn around while simultaneously throwing the snow.

Sadly, it just went right through the spirit.

“I’m not going back there, you want to hurt me, huh? If you want to do any good, show me my father before he was killed. Tell me if he was happy – if he thought about me at all. Those are the queries I want answers to, but don’t show me what I remember so bloody vividly. Because, I know the pain of that memory and it stayed with me a long time before the numbness finally scabbed over in its place. Don’t open that wound up again.” Louis practically begged Harry.

Harry looked at him with the same sympathetic expression, thinking carefully on his words.

“Your father loved you and his last known thoughts before the car accident was ‘I’m sorry, Louis.’ But I can’t show you the accident or what he was doing before because you weren’t there. I will tell you that he was coming to pick you up as a surprise so you could spend Christmas with them. He died coming to get you.” Harry revealed, seeing Louis’s desperate features break a little.

He hadn’t known his father was on his way to get him.

“So, this is my fault?” He asked Harry, feeling a heaviness in his heart again that he hadn’t for some time.

“Not directly, no. If anything, your father blamed himself. He was going to invite you back home to finish school there in Doncaster. He wanted to see you more,” Harry responded, holding his arm out for Louis to take hold of his sleeve. “We need to go.”

Louis shook his head and turned away, beginning to walk in the opposite direction.

“I can’t. Not again.” Louis told him.

Harry could feel a heaviness in his dead chest that could take a mortal’s breath away and homing in on Louis’s pain at that moment was heart wrenching.

“I understand, but we need to press on and I meant what I said. If you don’t come with me willingly, I will have to make you. I promise I will try to make it hurt a little less if I can.” Harry promised, easily catching up to Louis and stopping him from walking any further.

Louis looked defeated and the corner of his eyes were tearing slightly, but he lifted his hand and gently placed it over the sleeve of Harry’s arm in defeat.

“In your own words, it’s the past, yeah?” Louis turned his head to meet Harry’s dead sea eyes.

“Correct.” Harry confirmed, nodding his head once.

“Then no matter the years that march on, it’s the past. It doesn’t make it hurt any less. Hell, mum didn’t even send a ticket so I could go to his funeral and say goodbye. She didn’t want me there and I never understood why. I guess she blamed me for being at the school in the first place and I guess it kind of was, but I was not a bad kid. You said so yourself.” Louis murmured, trying to seek answers from the ghost to try and unjumble his muddled thoughts on the memory he tried so hard to forget.

“I’m afraid I can only offer you insight; not answers. You can try to seek a solution, but unfortunately you will find more queries than you will result. My job is to show you the cause and then from there it is your responsibility to figure out how that is effecting your life now. That will also be where Zayn takes over.”

Louis nodded quietly, his hand gripping the white cloth on the ghost’s arm.

“Come on, two more stops and then we can get to the fun aspect of your life.” Harry coaxed, transporting them to the exact same location, two years into the future.

When Louis looked around, all he could see was the dreary dark clouds overhead. It was about to snow and the chill factor, Louis remembered was well below that day.

“Let’s just get this over with.” Louis muttered, walking towards the school building again and leaving Harry to follow after.


	8. Chapter 8: Teenagers

Louis stood over his younger self as his attention was focused at a particular song verse on the notepad he had been writing on the past few hours.

“I remember feeling inspired when I woke up that morning and wanted to take a whack at some song lyrics.” Louis nodded to the paper his younger self had.

Harry stood next to Louis, reading over the verse he was stuck on, not verbalizing anything as he wanted Louis to open up in his own time about the events leading up to the news of his father.

“Hey Lou? Are we going into town after lunch? I want to buy some more weights for the dorm.” Liam called from their joint bathroom, the water heard running inside it.

“Yeah, I need some music paper anyway, we’ll get some on the way.” Younger Louis called back, his voice distanced by concentration at the paper.

“Awesome!” Liam answered in reply, the silence lingering back in the room like a comfortable glove.

“We were pissing around for a few months after the locker meeting and eventually, the administration moved Liam and I in as dorm mates, because we had a habit of sneaking off to the pubs and getting bladdered. I suppose it was just easier to keep an eye on the corrupt one and his minion.” Louis shrugged, not really understanding why they would ever move those two in as roomies.

“Actually, Liam requested it. He was very good at getting you out of trouble and even took the two disciplinary marks for your haywire actions.” Harry told him with fact, glancing up towards the door when it opened, Liam in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

“What haywire actions? If I was doing it, so was he.” Louis rolled his eyes and studied his younger self’s writing. “As for that last lyric, I should have scrapped it entirely.”

Harry wasn’t sure if he should tell Louis about Liam and that it was essentially his fault that Liam quit school with him – well, actually, Liam was kicked out because of Louis’s actions and the music exec didn’t even know.

“You blew up the science room, Louis.” Harry pointed, turning to sit on one of the younger boy’s beds to keep an eye on his charge to make sure he didn’t bolt.

“By accident.” Louis replied stonily, turning to find the ghost staring at the radio that happened to be on at the moment.

“On purpose and you stabbed Jerry in the eye, mate. You blinded him in that eye. I am understanding of your anger –“ Harry tried to connect with his job, but of course Louis wasn’t having it.

“You don’t understand shit, nosy Harriet. You have no idea what went through my head the moment I stabbed him in his fat toad face,” Louis snapped, getting angry again and slamming his hand on the table his younger self was writing on. “For god sakes, you’re making an idiot of yourself; you stupid cad, no one is going to like that song.”

Harry sighed quietly and stood again, putting a hand on Louis’s shoulder.

“Liam took the disciplinary marks for the destruction of the science room and he also took responsibility when it came to Jerry. He admitted to the administration, but because Jerry insisted it was you and not him he got written up rather than an assault charge. He also paid the school back for damages for the next five years because you caused about twenty thousand pounds’ worth of destruction.”

Harry could only shake his head in slight disbelief.

“You certainly have lived quite an interesting life, mate. I’ll give you that one.”

Louis folded his arms across his chest.

“I didn’t ask him to do any of that shit. He chose to throw himself under the bus, not me. I can’t help if he’s too nice. How the hell is that my bloody fault?” Louis snapped, turning to walk out of the dorm and down the hall.

Harry ran after him, raising his hand up and ghosting Louis’s feet where he stood.

“It’s not, but I thought you should know. He is a friend, isn’t he?” Harry questioned, coming to stand in front of Louis so they were staring at one another.

Louis folded his arms a little fighter under his arms in mock thoughtfulness, smiling slightly with a shrug.

“In this business, there are no friends only partners and being that is so, I wouldn’t exactly consider Liam a friend. He’s my employee, nothing more and nothing less.” Louis responded, making Harry blanch.

For being the ghost of the past, he certainly didn’t see that one coming.

Harry’s surprised look faded to a stony glance, to say he was disappointed in Louis would be an understatement.

“He helped you through your father’s death – “Harry began.

“Again, I didn’t ask him to and he technically didn’t do shit.” Louis defended, making Harry’s eyes look a little more lively…or in his case, livid.

“He made sure you had a place to stay, he got a job, he got you a job when you were feeling well enough to work and because of that job, you are where you are today! You – you, you’re a real charmer, you know that? Everything Liam did, he did because he considers you a friend. He did it and it’s because of that job that HE GOT YOU, that you got famous.” Harry put into perspective, struggling not to slap Louis across his smirking face.

“Yeah, well, we all see how that turned out, yeah? I got famous and it still didn’t seem to stop fate from pissing all over me. El, and oh, let’s not forget about my son – tell me, Harry? Did Niall kill my son? I mean, he seems to be the death spirit in this part of the city. I’m curious, because if he did, tell him I said thanks.” Louis responded with just as much sarcasm and a faux tone of friendliness to accompany his emotion.

Harry didn’t say anything for the moment and that was all Louis needed to continue.

“You won’t tell me, that’s answer enough. Let me go, we’re done.” Louis demanded, struggling to move his feet.

Harry watched Louis fall backwards onto his butt and then took the time to kneel down in front of him with the same emotionless expression with the very livid green eyes and in that moment, Louis took to being quiet and looking back with a stronghold glare of his own.

“Elanor wasn’t your fault, but if I’m being completely frank here, your son dodged a bullet with having a father like you. We have enough damned in this world, it would be a shame for your son to add on to the list.” Harry spoke calmly, feeling a sharp stab of icy cold pierce his dead, unbeating heart.

Louis’s eyes narrowed.

“How dare you! I wasn’t a bad father!” Louis exclaimed, hurt making its way to the surface, thawing the icy surface of his demeanor.

Harry moved himself a little closer so they were both making sure the other knew exactly where they stood at.

“You weren’t at fault for your son’s death, but you still have his blood on your hands, Louis. Don’t act blameless on the matter, because you’re not without some of the responsibility.” Harry told him, waving his hand and allowing the man to stand again.

Louis felt the hallow pain stab him in the chest again, it was sharp and jagged.

“I loved my son and I regret what happened every damn day that I didn’t see the warning signs with Bells, but I can’t do anything about it now. I have to press forward, but it doesn’t mean I need to see the forking good in life.” Louis stood up and brushed himself off.

“Then, what is living? If you cannot see at least some good?” Harry asked, standing with him.

Louis shrugged.

“Breathing, working, eating, sex and dying. Not exactly in that order, but you get the gist.” Louis responded coldly, walking off in the general direction of the administrative office.

Harry simply sauntered after him, not exactly glad of the events that played out.

Louis was just a frustrating person, but his pain was intense and Harry did have to remind himself that the bloke was mortal, nothing more and nothing less.

“Niall didn’t release your son.” Harry decided to answer his former query.

Louis stopped, but didn’t face Harry.

“Alexander was collected by another death spirit, we know him as Grim. Niall didn’t do that one, but he was there the night El – “Harry stopped when Louis turned around with the same fierce glare.

“Do me a favor? Don’t talk to me the rest of the time were together, because I might just go find your dead corpse, perform black magic on it to bring you back to life, just so I have the pleasure to kill you again. You just told me I was a lousy father and you don’t know shit about me, maybe my past, but not me.” Louis gritted his teeth, his voice dropping low.

He had a point there.

“Fine, I’m sorry. Maybe I don’t know, but you’re a lousy person and THAT is your own doing. You claim to have no friends and push them away when anyone wants to get close. What are you so afraid of, Louis? Because you’re obviously scared of something if you aren’t even willing to consider Liam your friend.” He argued, his eyes still intense.

Louis shrugged again.

“Nothing. I’m afraid of nothing, sort of speak. Liam just isn’t worth my time.”

Harry could only stare after the mortal in complete astonishment, but eventually followed next to him, his eyes an impassive reflection.

“You’re right, he isn’t worth your time. He’s much too good for you. I’ve never met such a selfish mortal and I’ve met some pretty intolerable ones in my day, but you sure take the pie.” Harry told him with disappointment.

Louis turned with a smirk and held his hand out in mock greeting.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Louis Tomlinson, biggest ass this side of London, pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Harry. Now that we are on the same page, do me a favor and shut the hell up!” Louis finally exploded, stocking off, opening the administrative door on his left and going in, making it a point to slam it in Harry’s face.

Harry just walked through the door unbothered and back next to Louis again.

“Go away.” Louis hissed, deciding to sit down in the unoccupied chair next to the secretarial desk. Harry sat next to him on the other chair without a word.

One of the administrators wore a deep frown over his worn face and kept biting a pen he had held up to his mouth.

“I see. I wasn’t aware of his passing, Mrs – “He paused when the voice from the other end spoke up again, allowing Louis to hear part of the conversation and though he would never admit it, he was more disheartened by the words of his mother.

“I understand. So you will not be sending for Louis again this year after all? Am I understanding that correctly?” The administrator asked solemnly, shaking his head.

Louis turned toward Harry, pointing to the balding faculty member.

“My mother didn’t even send for me to go to his funeral. I actually hopped a train back to Doncaster straight after Christmas and asked around until someone showed me where my father was buried. I never forgave my mother for that. It’s rather strange, isn’t it? He does something kind and it bites him in the ass?” Louis asked rhetorically, watching the administrator finish the short conversation with his mother.

“He was a kind man, Louis. He sent you here, because he thought it would be best for you. After all, you had no friends to speak of and you kept causing havoc.” Harry made a good point.

“My point is, kindness gets you nowhere. My father was indeed very amiable, but what good did it do him? Not one iota of nothen if you want my view of it. So, why should I follow of a dead end example and then suddenly become worm food for the effort? Piss off with that kindness stuff, it’s not going to work on me, you stupid spook.” Louis finished his ranting, going to get up for the chair. He didn’t want to be around for his younger self’s meltdown. It had not been pretty.

Harry simply waved his hand up and ghosted Louis to the chair so he couldn’t move. He needed to see his path, even if it was painful.

“You are staying for this, Louis.” Harry told him firmly, standing up.

Louis looked up at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Unpossess me, right now, Harry!” Louis demanded again, struggling to move.

“The term is called ghosting and no, this is something you’re going to have to deal with alone. I’ll be out in the hall, because truthfully? I need a break from you and you need to go about this memory alone.” Harry said, tuning to walk toward the door, but Louis’s panicked screams made him turn back.

“You can’t just leave me here! Don’t leave me here.” Louis begged, another part of his frosted charade dropping a notch.

Harry didn’t know if it was guilt, but he turned back slowly and sat down again.

“Alright, but you are a vexing human being, Louis. I hope you know that.” Harry told him, trying to maintain his patience, but failing.

“Yeah? Well, for the ghost of the past, you’re not much better. Your comment about my son was uncalled for. I was a good father…” Louis trailed off.

Harry realized Louis did have a point and he should have expected the hostility after, had he been alive and in the same situation – he would have probably been upset too.

“I apologize, I shouldn’t have said it, but the fact remains that your son, the situation with your ex – it was unhealthy. You tried your best, that’s all anyone could do.” Harry relented so Louis would move on.

“There was nothing wrong the first few hours.” Louis recanted, but went silent when his younger self and Liam entered into the office when the administrator went to fetch him.

He watched quietly as his smaller self-moved effortlessly to sit into the large chair the next desk over.

“Mr. Tomlinson, are we behaving?” The administrator smiled, though if Louis would of compared his grin to Barbie’s tits, Barbie would take first prize in being the most legit for being real than the forced expression the man was wearing.

Younger Louis simply said nothing for fear of incriminating himself and stared straight at his prison warden.

When the man realized Louis wasn’t going to say anything, he shrugged.

“Okay, down right to it then, yeah?” The administrator took a breath and with as much carefulness as he could, delivered the crushing blow of news that changed Louis’s world forever.

“Your father was coming to get you as a surprise for the Holidays. His car got hit by a drunk driver and he was killed instantly. No one else was hurt, but your mum thinks it’s best that you stay here; at least for now.”

The man’s voice was careful, but it didn’t hold any expression in it. If older Louis could describe it accurately, it sounded like a broadcasted version of reading the news.

There was an accident and yeah, people died, but it didn’t happen to anyone they knew.

It was easier for them to shut off a part of their humanity and just explain it like they were reading a script and to hell with the boy’s or anyone else’s feelings, because it didn’t involve them, they couldn’t relate.

“I’m not dwelling on this, but I could have used my mom. I remember just wanting to go home and be with my family. When I called home, no one answered. When I reached out, she acted like I didn’t exist.” Louis threw his head back, flinching when his younger self picked up a pencil holder and threw it at the administrator’s head, screaming at him for being a liar.

“She paid for my schooling to continue up until graduation and living allowance, but she wouldn’t speak to me over the phone or return my texts. I felt alone and since everyone I knew gave up on me, I suppose I gave up on myself. I functioned, I lived – but screw everything else.” Louis spoke up over his younger self’s erratic yelling.

Harry unghosted Louis and helped him stand to follow the younger boy out.

Liam had been standing wordlessly, listening to the entire thing, trying to calm his friend down and running after him as he took off at full speed down the hall.

Louis and Harry ran after them, mostly because an irrational sense for Louis was to go and try to help the boy, but the other part – the more rational, it’s voice spoke loud and clear, reminding him that this was the past.

“You remember what happens next.” Harry pointed out, his voice back to his normal, soft-spoken self.

Louis did indeed and a vicious smile spread over his lips.

“Oh yeah, Jerry the toad got a real rude wakeup call.” Louis said with a triumphant hiss, watching Jerry’s arm pop out, his fist meeting contact with younger Louis’s jaw.

Louis dropped like a rock, hitting the sidewall as he had still been running when he received the punch.

“Hey, twat!” Jerry greeted.

Liam skidded to stop in front of them when he saw the scene, shock evident on his face.

“Hey! Leave him alone! His father just died, scuzz-dick!” Liam yelled, balling his hand into a fist and snapping his arm up and then down – right into Jerry’s nose, going on to knock another of Jerry’s goons to the floor.

Louis could feel the rage his younger self was feeling and subsequently, when he ran from the office, he was still fisting a pointed pencil that didn’t make it towards the administrator’s head.

“Liam never gave up on you, mate. You gave up on everything and yet you are content to blame everything else and get close to no one. That’s going to bite you in the arse someday.” Harry observed, taking a step back when young Louis shook off the punch and stood to his feet with a sound similar to a war cry, arm raised up with the pencil and bringing it right into Jerry’s eye, twisting it in and breaking the tip off inside.

The screams of agony echoed through the halls and outside the building.

Little Louis and Liam took off the front door, down the road and didn’t stop until they got into town.

When they made it to the inner city, Louis balled his hand into a fist and struck Liam in the side of the face.

“Don’t go telling people my father died, you twat! If I wanna tell someone, I will. If I don’t, then keep your damn nose out of it. You aren’t my friend, we are not friends! Now piss off, traitor!” Young Louis screamed, pushing Liam away from him and stocking down the street with his hands shoved deep within his pockets.

Liam could only stare after Louis in shock. When he was halfway down the road, Liam called out to Louis again and raced after the hurt boy.

Harry and Louis simply watched them go.

“I don’t know why he’s stayed with you all these years, but they say God works in mysterious ways.” Harry concluded.

Louis folded his arms across him and watched the two boys with a hard stare.

“Or he’s got a sick obsession with submissive kink play where if you treat him like crap, he’ll try and do more to please you. I personally think it’s the latter, because no offense – if there is a God, he has certainly been slacking.”

Harry smiled.

“Liam is a good guy and he has very little left to give, but he does try. He always made sure everyone got what they needed first. He always made sure to help you, because he saw potential in you and he was right, too bad you have little regard to his needs.”

Louis scoffed, turning to Harry when the boys disappeared down the street.

“He has a job, what more can he even need?”

Harry shrugged.

“Not my department, Zayn will fill you in on that, but you would be surprised what he needs and can’t get because of the little you pay him. He’s due for a raise, mate. Take it from me.” Harry insisted.

Louis grabbed Harry’s sleeve.

“Just take me to where we’re going now, hm? I really want to get this over with. How many more things do you have to show me?”

Harry wasted no time in transporting a little later down the road, Louis had just turned sixteen.

“You remember this place, don’t you?” Harry asked when they landed, the smell of fresh pastries and coffee met their noses.

Louis did remember this place.

Louis shifted.

“Yeah, I do. After the news of my father, I tried getting my grades up, but couldn’t. When I went back to Doncaster, I never bothered to go back and that was a week before Thompkins got outed as a sheep guru and a day after I caused a chemical explosion to the science lab. I was surprised when Liam showed up a week after that.” Louis thought back, his head snapping to the backroom of the coffeehouse when he heard a loud crash.

He shook his head.

“Liam and I spent a few years in shelters or out walking the streets. We panhandled, but it was rarely successful. Liam was behind the coffee shop at the time the owner came out and saw him, offered him employment as a barista. It took a few weeks, but he managed to save enough for a one bedroom apartment and we stayed there, our food usually consisted of leftover coffee and day old pastries.” Louis smiled, though his heart felt heavy and broken.

“You were content though, yeah? At least you seemed happy, if only briefly. He helped you through your father’s death and was there for you.” Harry said, walking towards the back.

Louis followed.

“I was happy to rest somewhere warm that was indoors and a bearable mattress. We had been struggling to stay alive and he never gave me stress about getting a job.”

Harry nodded.

“He struggled to make sure to keep the rent paid and he did, along with getting you a job with him. You just turned sixteen and this was only a few months before your whole world blew up to something I bet you would never have dreamt.” Harry egged on slightly to get Louis to focus on the here and now moment.

Louis was certainly in the moment, his eyes glancing over every detail of the little shop.

“Actually, I met Simon on this day – and his assistant, who was a real snake charmer. I didn’t have the job long, neither did Liam. Liam became my assistant.” Louis recalled, his eyes meeting across at Liam.

He let a loud laugh leave his mouth, walking to where Harry wanted to head.

“Oh Christ, the elf costumes. I forgot about this.” Louis groaned, ducking under the counter and going into the back to get a better look, though regretting it when he saw his sixteen-year-old self stop dead in their tracks at the backdoor.

Liam was rushing around, a large smile on his face, his body clade in a green ruffled costume with matching tights, elf shoes and a jester elf hat.

The look on Louis’s face was pure horror.

“Holy elf balls. I’ve died and gone to Christmas hell,” Younger Louis muttered, folding his arms across his chest. “There is no way will you get me into that type of costume.”

The owner, who was washing dishes turned with a large, gleeful smile.

“Louis! I am so happy to see you’ve made it to work on time! No, Liam’s costume is for baristas. You get a special one for servers. I think you’ll love it!” Cathy Reinard exclaimed, turning to the far counter and taking the material from it, thrusting it into a confused Louis’s arms.

“Spoiler alert, I did not love it.” Louis replied lamely, wearing the exact same horrified expression sixteen-year-old Louis wore.

He remembered that costume very vividly.

Harry stared between Louis and his past self, before busting up laughing.


	9. Chapter 9: Work

Harry would have passed out if he had been alive from the hearty laughing he couldn’t seem to control as Louis stood glaring death at his old manager with the very effect that could freeze the darkest corners of hell.

Younger Louis, well, he could only hold his costume up like it had contracted a disease he would catch.

“I will jump out a window butt-naked and run through London screaming the Germans are invading on a dare before I wear this costume.” His younger self hissed, eyes wide in mortification.

Harry’s laughter was gritting on older Louis’s nerves, so he abruptly turned to the ghost of the past.

“Yuck it up, asshat. I thought you were supposed to be the sympathetic one? Why are you laughing at my pain?” Louis asked, feeling rather sorry for his younger self.

In younger Louis’s hands was a pair of white striped Shakespearian breeches. One strip of fabric was a white velvet glitter and the other was a brighter white cotton to take on a fairytale look. The short pants were ballooned out and ended at just above the knees.

The next thing his manager did was put a robin hood glitter felt hat with a white and black stripped feather on the side.

Older Louis flinched as a pair of white tights were set on top of his younger self’s arm.

“I believe these will fit you.” She ignored the younger boy’s protest and held up the last two pieces of the ensemble.

White glittered bell toed curled elf shoes and a majestic white peasant top that looked like it belonged on David Bowie in his younger crossdressing days.

The top itself had long drooping loose sleeves with a festive white vest fit for an elf prince.

Louis Tomlinson did not wear tights, he did not wear breech pants and he most certainly was not wearing that costume.

“They may fit, but I ain’t wearing em, woman. I will not demean myself – “Louis started, but was cut off by the manager calling Liam from the front.

“Dear? Make sure he gets changed, we’re shorthanded today and you’re the only two for the morning and afternoon shifts. I need all the help I can get the next two days, lads and if you value your jobs, Louis – your ass will go out there and greet the customers, take their orders and smile while doing it or I will make sure your next place of employment will be at the local zoo, cleaning the animal pens.” Cathy threatened with a friendly grin.

“This is demeaning!” Louis protested hotly, flinching when Cathy thrusted the last pieces of the costume into Louis’s already full arms.

“The costumes are worn in support of the children’s hospital down the street. We get a lot of workers from there and each donation we get, it supports the hospital. Please just grin and bear it, Louis. It’s for a good cause and you already agreed to do it at the start of your employment. When someone makes a promise – “Cathy lectured, older Louis repeating it after her as she said it.

“They keep it.” Louis mimicked with a sigh.

Harry still wore a smirk.

“And you did keep it. Man, you got a lot of crap that day.” Harry chuckled, seeing spots of visions enter across his eyes.

“Yeah, but I was high as a kite when I agreed. Still, I did – mostly because I couldn’t afford for Liam to lose this job and I wasn’t gonna be the cause.” Louis observed his younger self’s shoulders slump in defeat, like his just did.

Harry just stood there with the same smirk, he wished more people he came across were as spirited as this lively bloke appeared to be.

Louis noticed and huffed, but he was not antagonizing the ghost further.

Younger Louis looked at Liam’s costume, deciding that it wasn’t that bad after all.

“Can’t I have a costume like his? Or better yet, I make the drinks and we can switch costumes so he can be the fairy elf prince and take the orders?” Louis asked hopefully, making Harry laugh again.

Liam did not say anything, but rather took a firm hold of Louis’s arm and lead him towards the bathroom at the far side of the coffee house.

Harry made to follow.

Louis gripped Harry’s arm with a harsh glare.

“You, pervert, are staying out here. Liam and I had wardrobe issues and I still think I’m traumatized now that I’m being forced to relive this. I hope you plan on paying for my therapy bill, because I’m gonna need it after this.” Louis snarked, releasing the ghost and trekking toward the lavatory.

He stopped just outside of it, listening to his younger self complain about the tights and asking if he can leave his underwear on, to which Liam could be heard insisting that he ‘please do’.

It took fifteen minutes of pulling and tugging at the costume, but it was perfect and fit Louis like a pure white glittering glove. He was something out of a fairytale, though if anyone asked his opinion, he’d say it was straight from Freddy Kruger’s dream world.

They walked a few steps out of the bathroom, Louis’s complaints coming in loud and clear.

“Come on! I look like TinkerBell’s boyfriend! Actually, no, I look like Peter Pan’s unknown gay fairy brother. I mean, you might as well call me Pippin Piper! This can’t possibly get any more humiliating.” Young Louis ranted, seeing his boss walking towards him with something else in her hand.

“I stand corrected.” Younger Louis muttered unhappily.

“Oh my God, Louis! You’re so cute! I wish my son was here serving today, you two would be so adorable!” Cathy cooed, standing in front of him and moving his hair from his face and placing pointed ears onto each side of his face to complete the elf look.

“I wish your son was here serving today too. I can’t fathom why on earth he would miss out on such great fun.” Louis quipped back sarcastically with a large fake smile.

Cathy reached into her pocket and pulled out two bell bracelets, putting them on Louis’s wrists.

“I have to get a picture, oh my God! So cuuute!” Cathy clapped, happy beyond reason.

Harry’s loud laugh was booming in the coffee house and older Louis’s cheeks were slightly pink.

“That picture went viral when I got famous. Oh God, the horror that was. Poor dignity – alas, I knew ye well.” Louis saluted, ignoring Harry’s laughter and watching Liam fuss with his younger self’s costume.

“It’s not that bad, Lou. You look – “Louis cut Liam off before he could begin.

“If you finish that sentence Liam, I will end you.” Younger Louis growled, adjusting the tricorn robin hood hat.

Liam chuckled.

“It’s not, Louis.” Liam tried to calm him, coming to stand at his front and pinning Louis’s name tag to him.

Younger Louis just stood there and let his roommate pin his nametag, just like he had to help Louis dress in the constricting costume.

“My bloody pants look like I let one rip and the gas had nowhere to go. For Christ sakes, Liam – my underwear is chafing and these tights are constricting my cock and hens. Not to mention, I think I’m getting the worst wedge of my life. If me skives go anymore up my arse, they’re gonna be considered a bloody thong!” Younger Louis continued to complain.

Liam just patted Louis’s shoulder with a small smile.

“For what it’s worth, Louis; Happy birthday anyhow.” Liam said kindly, reaching into his pocket and handing the dark-haired brunette a silver-plated necklace.

It had a genie lamp attached to the chain.

“You wear it or hold it and the wearer or possessor is supposed to rub the lamp. It’s good for seven wishes – so says the guy I got it from.” Liam said, seeing look down at it thoughtfully, his finger running over the rough metal.

He thought a moment, a smirk entering onto his lips.

“Alright, I wish I was a famous singer and lived a successful life. I wish I found a girl that would love me for who I was, like, money never mattered and I wish my father never died.” He paused, looking around and rolling his eyes.

“Magical!” Louis snapped disbelievingly after standing there and waiting for something to happen.

“If you believe that rubbish, you’re a stupider git than what I took ya for.” Louis snapped, but put the necklace on anyhow.

Liam chuckled.

“Maybe, but it never hurt to try.”

Louis had forgotten about the necklace Liam gave him. In fact, he doesn’t even recall what happened to it.

“You threw it in the trash when your son died. You were slightly convinced because of the events that happened after those wishes, but if you know about wishes, then you know that they can’t bring people back from the dead.” Harry responded quietly to Louis’s unasked query.

Louis nodded, remembering then when Harry filed in the blank.

“So, it was by magic that I got famous?” Louis snorted, flinching when Cathy came back with the digital camera.

“No, it was your own willpower and the insight to make it happen,” Harry replied, another chuckle leaving his lips. “I like your boss here, mate. She knows how to liven up the atmosphere.”

Louis did no appreciate Harry’s opinion.

“Shut up, spook.” Louis grunted and went back to ignoring him.

Liam took his arm and wrapped it around Louis’s shoulders.

Cathy made the boys smile and much to Louis’s dismay, wouldn’t leave it alone until he had acquiesced to her demand.

With that over, she went and flipped the open sign.

“Liam? Get ready for the morning rush. Louis? Remember, when in doubt, smile and nod.” Cathy directed, taking her place by the till.

Louis walked with a slight limp towards the door, his hand going to the back of him and adjusting the obnoxious position of his pants.

Liam ducked behind the counter and stood at the ready, Louis went to the door to stand.

It was maybe ten minutes before someone walked in. It was an older man in his seventies and a woman around the same age.

“Welcome.” Younger Louis greeted with a smile.

Older Louis was blanching and Harry still couldn’t stop laughing.

“I’m dying.” Harry chuckled, greatly enjoying Louis’s mortified expression.

You’re dead already, give it a rest!” Louis yelled, unamused to say the least.

The older man stopped and observed the younger lad with a small cock of his head.

“Lad? You do know Halloween was two months ago, right? What are you supposed to be?” The old man jested lightly, now smiling.

Older Louis groaned and sat down heavily on one of the tables.

“I remember this was a very long and trying day for me. Let’s go, older Louis is done being traumatized now.” Louis ushered, but Harry was having none of it.

“We have to stay, there are some very important facts here that I think you need to be reminded of.” Harry said, his laughing casually ceasing. It was clear by his tone that the ghost was not joking.

Louis huffed, kicking his heels in toward the table and let out an irritated grunt.

“A Shakespearian Christmas elf with an anger problem.” Younger Louis quipped back unshyly.

Older Louis chuckled the same time the old man did.

He took his wallet out and passed a note to the younger lad.

“Was only kidding, lad. Have a good one.” The old man nodded, his wife ushering him patiently to the counter and ordering their teas.

“It was a £50.00 note, first one I ever legitimately earned.” Louis said, losing a little of his hostility.

“He liked your response, you have an amazing sense of wording when you put your mind to it.” Harry said, observing the shocked look of Louis’s younger self.

“I would like to think I have some talent – being a musician and all.” Louis responded equally.

Harry shook his head

“Yeah, but you weren’t as jaded, look at you. You actually felt a slight sense of accomplishment and what you did after, well, you really are an enigma.” Harry nodded to Louis’s younger self, a look of conflict crossing over his young features before walking to the counter and handing Liam the fifty note when the couple walked out.

“Give this to Cathy. Tell her to give it to that damn hospital or kids institute or whatever. Hell, tell her I’ll give her my next paycheck if she lets me go put my normal clothes back on.” Louis tried to bargain, but Cathy heard and came out, taking the note with a smile.

“Nice try. If you ask again, you will be elf dancing customers to their tables until New Years, to which you will then have the choice of being Father Time or Baby New Year,” Cathy threatened good naturedly. “Thank you for the donation, Louis. It means a lot, especially for the kids.”

Louis sighed and turned to head back toward the door.

“I call dibs on Father Time.” Liam grinned, joining in Cathy’s lighthearted threat.

“I call dibs on waiting until you fall asleep and shaving your eyebrows off.” Louis remarked with a smirk of his own.

Liam snorted.

“You already did that, took them forever to grow back.” Liam retorted, making younger Louis cackle.

“Then go about fixing the coffee and teas, mate. Don’t cross me, I am a force to be reckoned with. You of all people should know.” Louis hummed in satisfactory.

Liam hummed with a shrug and Louis returned back to his station.

“I have never been tipped before, we don’t usually do tipping in the restaurants or coffee shops. The man was kind to do it.” Louis furrowed his brows down and turned to Harry.

Harry decided to sit on the next table beside him, hopping up effortlessly.

“The same kindness you showed in giving it to someone else who needed it more – even if you didn’t have food for that entire week except the stale pastries.” Harry shrugged.

“Yeah,” Louis murmured, seeing the group of three older jocks enter. He remembered those a-holes quite vividly too.

“Slap me upside the arse and call me Shirley, not those ass-hats.” Louis muttered, standing to beat the snot out of them.

“Visions, Louis. You can’t hurt them. Now, sit down.” Harry ordered, raising his hand and ghosting Louis’s feet to the floor.

Louis growled, but took the chair nearby and sat down into it. His disposition went from agitated to enraged in point five seconds when he saw the three jocks.

“I don’t see how you’re even still upset about those numpties, you got even.” Harry pointed out, watching younger Louis greet the older teenagers with a respectful nod.

“Good morning, welcome. Have you gents been here before?” Younger Louis asked, eyeing the other boys carefully when they were indiscreetly looking him up and down.

Louis was staring back, but not because he was gawking, no, the loud scoffs that left their mouths had something to do with it.

“Que uncomfortable music.” Older Louis muttered, feeling Harry take the ghost effect off him again.

“What are you supposed to be? Elton John? Mate, you a whoopsie or somethen’? No straight bloke wears a fairy costume and serves tea.” The younger of the boys insisted, he was maybe a year or two older than Louis.

Younger Louis smiled and nodded.

“Yes, well, we all can’t live off mummy and daddy’s money, can we jocker boy? It’s called a job and doing things you don’t want to do. That’s life, now; let me show you to your table if you’re staying.” Louis snarked back with a friendly dose of venom and smile – but it certainly wasn’t pleasant anymore.

The older of the boys seemed to match Louis’s grin.

Liam watched on with interest, their manager was luckily away from the counter for a moment to attend to making sure the coffee papers were stacked and ready to be used.

“Louis?” Liam caught his attention with a forced smile.

Louis whipped his body around and gave Liam a glare.

“Piss off, I’m trying to work!” Louis hissed, jumping with an exclamation when he felt a pinch to his backside, the middle boy reaching over mid grab when he spun back around. “And you! I don’t swing for your team, mate. You want some action, pinch your mate’s arses and piss off to the bathroom if you have such the urge. Otherwise, follow me.” Louis growled, walking with the same limp, his elf shoes and bracelets jingling with each step.

Louis took them to the first table and gestured sarcastically.

“Your thrones, your majesties. Now, what are you assholes ordering?” Louis asked, seeing no reason to be pleasant.

Older Louis was watching Liam try to gesture discreetly behind him to indicate Cathy was standing in the doorway watching.

She didn’t see what the boys were doing, but she certainly saw and heard Louis.

“Louis, darling? A word if I may? Liam? Bring the boys a cup of coffee on the house. We’ll be right back.” Cathy smiled, flipping the counter up, walking to Louis and in no certain terms, dragged him to the back by his prosthetic elf ear, while also having a very firm grip on his real one.

“What do you think you’re doing being disrespectful to customers like that?!” Cathy demanded once they were out of earshot.

Louis opened his mouth to interject, but Cathy put a finger on his mouth, suspecting he would say something sarcastic.

“Never mind. I don’t want to hear it,” She decided exasperated, glaring down at the younger gent. “If I get anymore complains today, Louis; I will fire you. I need people with happy attitudes and a friendly smile.”

Louis opened his mouth to interject again, but she again cut him off.

“No, you’ve had your turn to explain and couldn’t give me a straight answer. Now, get back out there with a smile and friendly attitude or you will rue this day. I will make sure you do.” Cathy promised, walking to the back door and out of it to cool down.

Younger Louis was left standing there scratching his head, the bells juggling merrily with the movement.

He stopped and glared at them.

“Shut up.” He barked, stomping back out, ignoring the rash currently being irritated by his clothes.

“Hey? Nancy Pansy? Did mummy give you a timeout and a warning to be a good boy?” The younger one antagonized patronizingly.

Louis grit his teeth into a bared smile, waiting a moment before replying so he could keep his voice happy.

“Why yes. Yes, she did, but I never was one to listen to my mum. Touch me again and I will neuter you with a teaspoon.” Louis hummed lightly with an edged warning, feeling a hand grip his upper arm gently.

He looked and saw Liam beside him with a friendly expression set on his face.

“Lads? Can I add anything to your coffees? Milk, sugar or cream?” Liam asked, trying to distract the situation from escalating.

Younger Louis just folded his arms across his chest and gritted his teeth to keep the faux friendliness.

“Yeah, all three.” The older one chuckled, practically throwing the untouched tray at the two young workers.

Liam took it merrily, humming a Christmas tune as he did so.

“Alright, I’ll be right back, mates. Louis? A word please? Your behavior is unacceptable, we’re going to have to report it to Cathy, come on.” Liam encouraged, turning his head fully to Louis and winking.

Older Louis let a smirk fall on his lips.

“I did forget that it was Liam who came up with the idea. That was brilliant, mate,” He turned to Harry with a small laugh. “Perhaps I stand corrected when it comes to him, he has helped me out a few times.”

Harry’s eyebrow cocked.

“A few? Mate? He’s been here for you since you got shoved in that locker and he wants nothing in return but your friendship.” Harry rolled his eyes, forgetting how incredibly thick Louis was.

“Alright.” Younger Louis said in mock defeat, walking to the back ruefully and out of sight of the table.

Liam was on his heels with a glance that would make even Loki nervous.

“Take the keys, act natural, but give it a minute and lock the lavatories. I got the rest.” Liam ordered with a smirk, setting the coffees down and beginning to put the required stuff into it, except instead of milk, it was two packets each of milk of magnesium with a pinch of sugar and spoon of cream to cover the taste of the magnesium.

“Most powerful laxative on the market. I put two packets in their coffee for maximum performance.” Liam grinned, stirring the contents and heading back to the table, his elf bells jingling in step with a small tune he was singing while he walked.

Louis grabbed the keys, bowing his head like a scolded dog and running passed the table like he had just gotten fired and hid to the side where the bathrooms were, locking both toilets in triumph.

“Drink shit, become shit.” Louis hummed, turning to look angry.

He balled his hands into a fist, marching passed the table and into the kitchen so as to not look suspicious.

Liam was already there, his hand held out for a high five.

Louis planted a firm palm into Liam’s shaking it.

“Good job, mate.” Louis praised, seeing the backdoor open.

He cleared his throat and chuckled.

“Very good point, Liam. I’ll do that.” Louis clapped his hand on the confused boy’s shoulder and walked to his place by the door.

Liam wasn’t confused for long, seeing as Cathy was standing by the door with her head cocked.

“Oh, Louis was telling me that he’s gonna try to tap dance when the next customer comes in.” Liam tried saving face, making younger Louis blanch for the second time that day.

Cathy became excited and started clapping.

“Louis, that’s wonderful! I can’t wait to see!” Cathy exclaimed, clapping like an overly excited teenaged girl.

“Of course, she couldn’t. Ya know? I wonder how many times her own son ran away from home. I’d have left without forwarding my address. Letters in the mailbox? Keep them! I don’t need the men’s catalogues or the notice my favorite uncle cro – “Harry cut Louis off.

“She wasn’t that bad, Louis. She just liked to dress people up and she only made you wear the elf costume two days. She liked to see others happy and she thought that if she got you to dress up and smile, you might be more in tune to open up and have some fun. She wouldn’t have fired you, she just would have made you dress up as Father Time,” Harry chuckled. “She manipulated you and you didn’t even know it. But she did it because she thought it could help. She saw potential, Louis. Something not a lot of people did.”

“Yeah, well, I was happier on the road.” Louis muttered, really not in the mood to continue.

Harry nodded in understanding.

“I have two more things to show you, but first; let’s fast forward. We’re running crunched on time now; my hour is nearly up. We still have a tick, but not by much.” Harry held his hand out for Louis to touch.

Louis was far too focused on seeing the end result of what happens when you screw with Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.

“Come on, I wanna see those jocks go liquid ass! It was hilarious watching them try to open the loo – “Louis was cut off by Harry taking a page from Cathy’s book and grabbing his ear, transporting them to a time later.

When they zapped through time, it was only in the afternoon when they reappeared in the same coffee shop.

“You remember this moment, don’t you Louis?” Harry asked, having released his ear when they finished transporting to where they needed to be.

Louis nodded.

He most definitely remembered this moment.

The bell to the door jingled, alerting younger Louis to look to the door tiredly, two middle aged men standing in front of him.

Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, owner and manager of Syco.

Louis plastered on a smile while they glanced at him oddly, having absolutely no idea who these men were.

“Hi! I’m Louis and I will be serving you, are you ordering to go or staying?” Louis asked, forcing his hand down into the back of his balloon pants pocket and picking up an order pad he had stuffed there.

Louis Walsh looked unsure at Simon, but the man just chuckled and gestured about.

“Staying. Show us to your best seats.” Simon said, chuckling as Louis started to walk, bells chiming and jiggling.

“You look very festive, Louis. Can you dance?” Walsh asked with a cocky smirk, followed up by a laugh.

“Only on a girl’s toes, mate. Sadly, that’s why my girlfriend Tinkerbell refuses to let me tap dance anywhere near her feet. Actually, she refuses to let me tap anyth –“

LOUIS!” Cathy yelled from the back, making Louis jump.

Walsh gave Louis a back wave with the back of his hand.

“Run along lad, your mum needs you. The adults need to talk, we’ll let you know our order here in a few. Bye-bye.” He dismissed, though Simon didn’t come to his defense, he nodded subtly, eyes glancing across the tea and coffee menu.

Louis backed away when Cathy screamed for him again and this time, he rushed to her double-step.

When he got to her, she pulled him further into the back with a worried look in her irises.

“Liam said you can sing and play guitar. I need a favor, the original artist coming in to sing got touched with a stomach bug and can’t get off the loo. I brought a guitar, can you do the rest?” Cathy asked hopefully.

For the first time that day, Louis smiled genuinely.

Music was his life!

“Yes! Are you kidding? Hand me a guitar and I can have a party up in here in no time.” Louis paraphrased, seeing Cathy frown slightly.

“No sex or sad/depressing songs. You can only play Christmas and Hanukkah tunes. If you have a happy one, those are allowed, but I need you to stick to Christmas to keep the mood alive. Please? I’ll double your pay next month once I balance the books” She promised, before running out the door and leaving Louis to stand there in confusion.

She rushed back ten seconds later with a wooden guitar and a large scary smile.

Older Louis watched on, feeling the excitement radiating off his younger self.

“Can I stop playing Pippen Pipers? I don’t want to be the prince elf anymore. Do you know how many people asked me if I nicked this costume off a Halloween clearance rack from Five and Younger? My balls can’t breath and little me could use some air – “She thrusted the guitar in his hand, pushing him toward the front before he could continue his rant.

“Go play! Oh, my God, I am so excited!” Cathy clapped, running next to the till to see what her only hope at that point could do.

“She sure does get excited easily.” Harry smiled kindly at her enthusiasm.

Older Louis simply snorted.

“Understatement of the year. That woman would be excited to have a heart attack. No, if you think she’s excited now…wait till you see what happened. She started dancing.” Louis flinched,

“That doesn’t sound – “Harry paused, seeing an image of his boss dancing on the counter of the store. “Never mind.”

“Told ya!” Louis pointed, shuddering.

Harry laughed, watching younger Louis go to the front of the store, clearing his throat nervously.

“Ladies and gents? My name is Louis Tomlinson and I’d like to play a song for you all, would you like that?”

This particular phrase caught Simon and Walsh’s attention immediately. The other patrons kind of cheered in a less than excited manner.

Older Louis sat down, the familiar feelings of freedom overwhelming him. There was nothing like the aura of being completely unrestricted.

“You remember what it was like to just…play. No expectations and no pressure to please anyone.” Harry said, his own eyes not leaving the younger lad.

“I’m going to sing an original Christmas song. It’s called Wish Tree, I wrote it for my mum when I was just starting out in writing. I’d like to give it a try and see what it’s like with a wider audience.” Younger Louis announced, getting centered and allowing his hand to absently tune the guitar.

Harry smiled.

“You still had hope, even after those few years.” He noted sadly.

Louis’s face seemed to turn stone, which was a lot different than the bliss he felt a moment ago.

“It takes two, mate. She didn’t bother –“ Louis started, but it was cut short by Harry speaking over him.

“Just call, you don’t have anything left to lose. Just –ring her, because the regret we have not doing something is worse than the feeling we keep with us if we knew that we could and didn’t.” Harry tried to plead, but Louis shut in on himself again, his stormy blues keeping to the front of the store.

One thing was for sure, if Harry couldn’t break through to Louis, he hoped Zayn could. Niall was their absolute last hope and it seemed every time Harry got progress out of him, Louis would buck his head and topple everything that Harry had just accomplished right back into pieces.

“I can’t tell you the future, Lou. What I can tell you is, don’t make mistakes that you can fix. Don’t push people away because you’re afraid. Forgive those whom you can and hate less in your heart to those you cannot. Louis, I’m reaching out here to tell you that your past doesn’t have to define you!” His voice rose, making the older lad look at him with the same expressionless glare.

Without a word, he went on to watch his younger self, though annoyingly, Harry’s words still somewhat echoed in his head.


	10. Chapter 10: Love to Lose

Harry and Louis travelled from the coffee shop, leaving his pre-fame days behind them into a part of his life that he had for years erased. Now it was back again and it was souring Louis’s mood even further – if that were even possible.

When they transported to a large ballroom, the older singer knew exactly where he was. It was a few years later, he had just turned eighteen and for appearances, Simon and Walsh hooked him up with a gig to host and support the local children’s hospital. The very one Simon had donated money to.

It was a dance and he wore a white buttoned down suite with gold tasseled shoulder pads, the coat in the front buttoned down with the same colored buttons and his pants were held secure by a black belt and dress shoes that completed the ensemble.

“Liam? How long do I need to be here?” Louis asked lowly to make sure he went unheard by the others around him.

Liam smiled the same as he always did at his boss, but his eyes shone with life. He had just met his first girlfriend and he could not be any more in love as he was in that moment.

Louis went to his slightly older self, Harry following next to him as he had throughout the entire journey.

“Eleanor.” Louis muttered, though his hard-blue eyes reflected sadness and his heart could feel the familiar ache that beat within his chest.

Harry nodded.

“Simon signed you on for a four-album deal. You spent two years recording two albums and doing four part tours. You barely had a moment to breath.” Harry said, seeing the flashes of Louis’s hard work flash before him in severed memories, the loss of his youth going by as his whole life up till then displayed itself in Harry’s mind.

The shame of it was, he remembered every single soul he came across. He knew their life, their death, their weaknesses and their regrets. He relished in the bliss of their happy memories and spared a thought of reflection in their sorrow. He was the ghost of the past and seeing Louis’s long ago dreams – what they might have been, displayed only great sadness through the next couple of years and misery up until the present.

“You were always a free spirit. You had dreams – maybe fame really never mattered? Perhaps you just wanted to be happy, feel happy and find a purpose? We all search for that in life, you don’t seem to be any different.” Harry continued when Louis didn’t answer. His eyes were busy spanning the large ballroom for the one girl who he knew was the turning point to derailing his otherwise carefree life.

“A few hours. Dance with a few patients, offer a comforting smile and ask them a few questions about themselves. You wouldn’t believe the difference you’ll make. Remember what Simon said about image.” Liam pointed out with a light hum before turning and walking to the far end of the wall to offer a dance with a lone girl.

Younger Louis groaned with a stomp of his foot.

“Fine.” He relented and turned abruptly, bumping and knocking the person that had been crossing at the same time he turned to the ground with a surprised exclamation.

“She found you, mate.” Harry smiled, pointing to his younger self and the young woman with the most striking face and kind eyes he had ever seen.

“I am so terribly sorry, miss!” Younger Louis exclaimed, bending down the same time she sat up, their heads bumping together with a dull thwack.

Both of them let out groans of pain, their hands simultaneously going to their foreheads.

“I needed to come with a warning label and she needed to wear a hardhat with as many times as she fell.” Louis said, his voice tightly restricted in his throat.

“I am so sorry, miss.” Louis said again, rubbing his head again and standing to help the pretty girl he had just ran over with his petite frame.

The girl laughed tiredly and allowed him to guide her from the carpet to her feet once more.

“I’m Louis, by the way.” He introduced himself with a big smile, the soft hum of Christmas music flowing from the live orchestra that had been hired for the event and the smooth voice that accompanied the music.

“I’m Eleanor. It’s a pleasure, Louis. If you’ll excuse me though, I’m needed elsewhere.” Eleanor excused herself, but paused when her eyes met Louis’s ocean ones.

That’s when the spark ignited and her tense muscles seemed to relax.

Younger Louis still had that stupid smile on his face as they stood there, stuck in a time of endless seconds that were almost like a perfect dream.

A girl in a pure white gown and a charming rock star dressed as a price. It was a picturesque you could only capture in a flawless painting.

“Are you sure? Because I was just about to ask you for a dance or two – if it pleases you so that is?” Louis asked, still keeping his hand firmly over hers.

“You lust struck git.” Older Louis muttered, watching Eleanor nod with a slight beam of her own lips and allowed the rock star to guide her to the middle of the dancefloor.

Using his hand to guide her in front of him, he allowed for her arms to place themselves around his neck and maneuvered his hands so one rested on her upper back and the other over her lower.

“You have queries, I can see them reflecting in your eyes.” Harry observed, the crushing feeling returning to his dead chest.

“I want to know why she lied to me.” Louis growled, following the two new lovers, because he remembered the conversation between them quite well at this point. The memories were repeating themselves as fast as they were playing out in front of him.

Harry rushed after him, lifting his hand up to ghost Louis, but he found that it didn’t work this time, Louis was far too focused and the emotions running through his own dead soul were interrupting his power.

“Louis, calm down.” Harry advised, seeing the older man stand in front of the couple and scream.

“WHY DID YOU LIE?! YOU LIED AND THEN YOU LEFT! YOU ARE ALL THE SAME! YOU LIE AND THEN YOU LEAVE! I COULD HAVE HELPED!”

Harry flinched.

He definitely wished Zayn was with them at this point.

“Louis – “Harry started, taking a step back when Louis turned toward the ghost with an intensity that was fueled by something that was so bitter, Harry could actually taste it in his mouth.

“Take me the f*ck home, NOW!” Louis roared, his growl so fierce that if Harry wasn’t already dead, he might have actually been afraid that the bloke would kill him if he didn’t listen.

Harry shook his head.

“No. I told you I had two more things to show you and this was one of them. It’s about damn time something got through to you. You can’t hide from the past, you can try but it always catches up with you somehow,” Harry took a stand, taking a step and grabbing Louis’s arm before he could storm off. “You dated her for a year, Lou and she didn’t lie. She was just never one to weigh others down to her problems.”

“She broke it off, didn’t give me the reason, just an excuse and then the next day I’m being called and investigated because she was reported missing! WHY?!” Louis demanded, taking his other hand and gripping Harry’s wrist in a bone breaking hold.

He was desperate for those answers, because he never got them, even when her body was discovered in the city river a week later.

“She was terminal, Louis. You knew that.” Harry replied softly, using his own to grip Louis’s shoulder.

“After the bloody fact! If she just told me...” Louis trailed off, his grip loosening on the ghost.

“She would have made it a few weeks if she was lucky, Louis. The night on the beach, she ended it to save you the pain. It’s obvious that it was handled poorly, but you got over her a half year later, yeah? What was her name? Jessie? You slept with her and got her pregnant. Congrats on thinking with your head and not your prick by the way, mate.” Harry spat.

Louis stepped back as if he had been slapped.

“I NEVER got over El. I want to know if she suffered or was Niall kind enough to grant her mercy? Was it quick?” Louis seemed desperate for an answer to that question, because he always wondered if her final moments were peaceful or agonizing, as morbid as it was to think about.

“She climbed to the highest bridge in London and jumped. When she hit the water, the force and the way she hit –“

Louis pushed Harry from him.

“DID SHE?!”

Harry wanted to be done as much as Louis did, because the overwhelming feeling of helplessness was making him sick and though it was only phantom sickness, it was getting to be too much.

“No. It was a quick second of flight and the way she came down, the force collapsed her lungs and rib cage. She was unconscious the moment of impact because of the ice that froze over the water below,” Harry replied truthfully, scratching his head unsure.

“Like jumping from the Empire State Building in New York. I met a jumper from there one time. He told me the sudden stop was the free falling and the ground coming up on you and then…nothing. I can’t say the same for the poor bloke he fell atop of, he felt everything for a few moments – Niall wasn’t quick enough to scythe him because it was just him and he wasn’t quick enough, but he was there for El, he got her soul out before she hit the water, also another reason she didn’t feel anything.”

Louis rubbed his fingers over his face.

“Brilliant. I get a ghost that directly and indirectly answers my questions and leaves me with bloody more.” Louis calmed slightly, though the feelings didn’t get any less tense for Harry.

“You’ll know when you die. I can’t explain it.” Harry dismissed, figuring he’d have to just get Niall to show Louis first hand.

“Comforting!” Louis yelled, grudgingly turning to his younger self.

He noticed the younger him never lost his charm or smile throughout the dance.

“You stupid soft bloody numptie.” Louis muttered, kicking himself.

Harry remembered a quote he read in a book once. It was written two hundred years after his death, but it still left an impact and one line he could recite in his sleep…if he slept.

“’I hold it true, whate’er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most’ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.’ A quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson. The man was a Victorian poet and I think he was onto something. You can’t regret meeting Eleanor, because she is what shaped you. It was short, but it was enough for you to feel alive, to feel love and you deserved that, Lou. You still do, but you have to let love in to receive it.”

Louis turned his back on Harry; ignoring him again.

“So, tell me, what is a beautiful girl like yourself doing at a Christmas Eve dance for sick people?” Louis asked smoothly, trying to be cool, but the girl’s eyes flickered and the mirth that was there began to fade.

“Smooth move exlax.” Older Louis snarked to himself, wondering how he was ever that stupid.

Younger Louis saw and backtracked.

“What I mean is, you’re beautiful. I didn’t mean to say you were better than the sick people here – I mean they’re ghastly looking and you’re pretty, I mean they’re not okay and you were – I – um…” Louis chuckled nervously. “Can I redo that? Okay, simpler question; where are you from?” He tried again with something that was less insulting, though he couldn’t see how the question was inappropriate to begin with or why she frowned so heavily.

“Here in London, I’m local – though judging by that Yorkshire accent you speak with, you clearly are not.” She chuckled, their bodies beginning to move with the heavenly voice that sang with the orchestra.

“I am not fair lady, you are correct. I was born and bred in Doncaster.” He stated proudly.

“That explains so much. You certainly are blunt.” Eleanor tsked, though her eyes were sparkling again and for Louis, that’s all that mattered in that moment.

“This was the first time you looked at someone and felt something incredibly new. It was almost as freeing as singing, wasn’t it?” Harry tried, standing beside the music exec.

“If I would have known I was going to lose her a year later, I wouldn’t have bothered.” Louis spat bitterly, eyeing the ghost with hatred. “Piss off, asshat. You’re a bloody cruel one, crueler than the corporate suites I work with in the office.”

Harry of course paid no heed to Louis’s threat and stood there for a moment to watch the young couple, pursing his lips slightly and shrugging.

“You can’t always save your heart from breaking, but you can’t keep it locked away either. El was there to introduce your heart to what could have been and still can be if you put in the effort to change. Her purpose on this earth was accomplished and so she went back. You can hardly fault nature for being what it is destined to be.” Harry said, his wisdom wise beyond his years – even if he had nearly four hundred years to perfect it.

Older Louis watched the red, blue and light green spotlight above the room sparkle down and cast them in a hue of cheery auras.

“I suppose that’s just humanity? Live, breathe and die, cheerful. Merry bloody Christmas, mate. I’m done. Take me out of here, yeah? Because if you don’t I will – “Louis started to threaten, his words halting in his throat when El’s legs gave out when she ended up stepping wrong, his younger self moving quickly to tighten his hold on the girl with a laugh.

“Your mother did not name you Grace for a reason.” Younger Louis teased, the pair’s eyes meeting again.

Louis noticed the way his younger self held the girl to him, her body dipped slightly and his blue eyes lit with pure joy with the lights circling around the room, the music fading and the rush of blood hitting his face when he realized they were paused in this position.

Eleanor didn’t seem to mind though and only laughed with him.

“Well, you didn’t let me fall.” Eleanor smiled, her body slowly being lifting upward again.

“Gentlemen do not let beautiful girls collapse. I’ll catch you every time…well, that I’m around that is. I can’t fly back to London every time you trip as I do not have Superman’s powers, but as long as I’m around, you’ll never fall.” Louis’s younger self beamed, taking her hand and letting the other rest on her shoulder.

She did the same, stars in her own tired eyes, but her energy seemed recharged and he let her hand rest on his back and the other on his shoulder.

“Then, I am in debt to you, Louis. Shall we?” She gestured with her hand.

Younger Louis obliged and the couple were again dancing slow to the music surrounding them, the bliss of young blossoming love shadowing in their eyes like the stars that shone in the jet-black night sky.

Older Louis could feel that loss and wrapped his arms across his chest defensively, minus the hostility.

Harry could feel the anger dissipate back to a dull ache, his memories filled with fond memories of the couple and when Harry saw the beach move across his own visual, he knew that it was time to move onward if they hoped to get to the last thing Harry needed to show him and he wasn’t sure at this point if it wouldn’t break the man entirely.

“We only have two more things to see.” Harry told Louis, holding his arm out for Louis to take so they could transport, but Louis just stood there and watched the memories of that Christmas Eve night play out in his head like a too loudly playing base.

He stood frozen to his spot and so Harry reached out to take his shoulder, but he swung around and pushed the ghost away.

“I will break your forking hand and then snap your neck. It might not bloody kill ya considering, but I’ll make sure your dead ancestors feel it.” Louis growled, his blue eyes aflame with barely extinguishable agitation.

Harry knew his threats were empty and since time was crunching closer to a close, he grabbed Louis’s arm and hurriedly transported to the beach – a year later, on the same night they had met and the last time they would again.

Older Louis growled and swung out at Harry, the ghost quick enough to jump back and go transparent so Louis’s fist went through him.

“Hurting me is not going to change our course.” Harry told him blatantly, seeing the year older couple walking along the beach, their breath falling out in the icy air, the snow falling around them quietly, which in turn hardened the sand below their feet in snowy frost, but it was still a breathtaking sight. Especially at the sight of two apparently young loves trekking down along the coastline waters.

“That’s the infuriating thing! I CAN’T HURT YOU! Oh, how I wish I could. You have little business to concern yourself in my bloody past! You won’t forking leave it alone!” Louis exploded, finally having enough.

Harry regarded Louis calmly, his express undistinguishable for once. He looked neither happy nor upset. He just looked lost, which was probably close to how Louis felt at the moment.

“I was not sent here on my own accord. I was sent by a power higher than my own. If you want to take it up with them, fill out a comment card and I’ll give it to them with your list of concerns. If not, don’t scream at the messenger, mate. As for your past? You know what I wish? I wish I could feel happiness in my own memories instead of others and that someone had been around to show me my regrets, because if I had the chance to go back and redo things differently, I’d take it in a heartbeat, but I can’t. My time is long past, yours is not too late so I suggest opening your eyes a little more to what’s around you. We can’t do anything with what’s behind, but you can change the future. You just got to learn from prior experiences. That’s my job tonight and I’m doing it to the best of my ability.”

Louis pushed Harry from him harshly and ran after his younger self.

Harry decided he would let Louis go this one alone for a few minutes, because the ghost could sense the bloke would hold true to his word of trying to cause him harm if he didn’t let Louis some time to cool off.

Louis could almost feel the snow below him, but it was as Harry said, a simple long away memory. He wasn’t cold and it allowed him to jog after himself within seconds, walking beside the couple who were strangely silent.

“Is something wrong, El?” Louis asked his girlfriend after a few minutes of silence.

It wasn’t uncommon for them to let their actions speak more than their words, but even Louis couldn’t ignore the troubled look his girlfriend wore and how tired she appeared – more so than normal.

For a few seconds, their footsteps were in tune with the Winter cold waves that crashed forward with force and lulled back with gentle ease around them and in a sense, it brought a comfort of the here and now. Louis remembered the calming effect it always had on him to be by the water, especially in times of great stress.

“Nothing really, luv. Just caught up in my own thoughts today, I suppose.” She smiled wearily, her face a pale glow that reflected off the sunset, lighting her aura in a soft hum of life that drove Louis absolutely crazy.

“You just seem sad today, you’re usually more talkative.” Louis pressed, stopping them and coming to stand in front of Eleanor.

Eleanor just shrugged and looked down to the ground.

“I don’t know, Lou. I was thinking of taking a break, you know? The paparazzo, you being away – the traveling and that. I just think we should take a break or like – just…end things, but at least end them on a good note?” Eleanor almost pleaded, but it came out as more of a question.

Young Louis stood there in shock, his hand tightening against hers.

“If you want to spend more time together, I can take you with me. We can spend a Holliday together, somewhere bright and sunny, rekindle things, work out issues, but don’t – don’t do this to me, El. Please? I’m willing to work this out, I’m willing to try.” Louis pleaded, his older self-wanting so desperately to express the words his wisdom had to offer the love-struck lad.

“Oh mate, if you knew the bullocks you had to deal with – you wouldn’t have bothered. Take it from me.” Louis expressed his own grief.

“It’s too late for that, Lou. It’s all way too late. I can’t leave London and I just…I just think we need to end it. It’ll be better for the both of us.” Eleanor insisted, taking her hold from Louis’s, sadness reflecting in the dying light of what was left of the day, which was another hour if they were lucky.

“You can’t mean that, El. I know you don’t want that. No one wants that, we were fine a few months ago, what did I do? What can I do to fix it? I told you I would never let you fall and I’ve kept that promise, I thought I did at least?” Louis began to panic, tears literally about to trail down his face from the harsh blow he felt and decided a physical one would have been less painful.

Eleanor seemed conflicted, but her next words cut Louis deeper than any knife could.

“I mean ever word and I may not want it to be so, but it is and you can’t do anything to change it! God, I wish you could, Louis. More than anything I wish you could, but it’s beyond my control, your control and God doesn’t seem to be listening, so we’re all bloody being punished in a sense. I never wanted…I never meant to fall for you. I did and now this is going to end up being my fault, isn’t it?” Her voice cracked and she could no longer concentrate on making any sense. She was hurting and her depleted energy was zapped from her for the effort.

Louis’s arms caught her when her body fell against his and wrapped their arms around his neck tightly, a fear-pained sob leaving the deeps of her throat.

A sharp pain shot through Louis’s chest and the complete helplessness he felt in that moment had been indescribable.

“She wanted to tell you if it is any consolation.” Harry appeared beside him, entering in ever so carefully, especially with what was happening.

“Piss off!” Louis hissed, keeping his eyes glued to the scene of the two heartbroken teenagers.

“She was afraid how you would have reacted. You called those patients in there sickly and unattractive, she stayed in London for treatments while you were off traveling for weeks or a month at a time. She kept her diagnosis hidden from most people, you included. The only ones who knew were Walsh and Simon, but she asked them not to breathe a word. She did it because she thought she was protecting you. It was no more your fault than it was hers, Lou. Please believe that.” Harry rushed to explain, transparenting again when Louis took another swing at him.

“SOD OFF!” Louis screamed at the ghost, his eyes reflecting the same emotions as his younger self.

They were confused, mad and hurt. He had always wondered what he could have done different and it stng to know Walsh and Simon had failed to tell him about El’s predicament. He could have gotten her more advanced treatments if he had known.

“No, you couldn’t of. Her diagnosis was terminal two years before you met her. They gave her three years, mate.” Harry heard Louis’s sparse thoughts amongst the anger of him being around.

“What part of bog off don’t you understand? Do I need to say it in Spanish for you to understand?” Louis snapped, his attention going to the ghost.

“She used her time the best she could, she would want you to do the same, that’s all she ever wanted. Eleanor liked seeing you smile and it gave her hope as well, no matter how little.” Harry ignored him and went on.

Louis’s heart seemed to break when she pushed away from him, stumbling in the cold slush, Louis’s jacket wrapped around her thin shoulders that he had given her to wear over her own to make sure she continued to be warm.

Young Louis just stood there in shock, making no attempt to stop her.

“I’m sorry, Lou. I should have…I…I didn’t mean for it to end like this. I thought maybe I could be the odds, but I can’t. I’m so sorry.” Eleanor said and shrugged Louis’s coat off, handing it to him. “You deserve to be with someone that won’t leave you and I don’t want to, but I don’t have a choice. I’m sorry, Louis. I am so sorry.” Eleanor sobbed, turning to walk away.

Louis rushed forward to stop her from stumbling, but it was her that pushed him back onto the ground.

“No! Don’t you understand?! You can’t stop me from tumbling every bloody time I fall! I’m going to eventually collapse and when that time comes, you nor anyone else will be able to stop it! Just LEAVE ME ALONE! GO AWAY, WE’RE OVER! WE’RE DONE!” Eleanor cried, hurrying to turn and walk away from her flame, the agonizing pain in her heart zapping the life from her already dying body.

Younger Louis just stood there and watched her stumble away in shock, the silent cries leaving with his tears.

“I was going to go after her. I was going to comfort her and I didn’t. I let her go, because I figured I could just call her later and we could talk it out and I did try, but her phone was turned off,” Louis recalled helplessly, turning to Harry. “Why did she end her life? Just answer me that.”

Harry looked out as the girl got further away, a soft sigh leaving his dead lips.

“Because she wanted to be left with her dignity, not helpless in a bed. Death is not always a pleasant end and she wanted to end things on her terms, not on her sickness. She was a strong lass, Louis and you were truly blessed to have known her.” Harry responded, holding out his arm.

Louis knew what that meant and he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to face the last thing that took away the life he had tried so hard to rebuild again and again and again.

“No. You’re the ghost of the past, right? Can you stop a moment? Just for a few seconds, if this is like a film – it can be paused.” Louis reasoned desperately, going after Eleanor while the setting sun grew dimmer in the horizon.

Harry watched him run after her and jog backward once he had caught up.

“Please!” Louis begged, just wishing he could pause the last memory and take in his old love one last time.

Harry let out a small sigh and waved his hand in the air.

Just like that, the scene froze.

Louis stopped and felt the wetness cascade down his cheeks like a small stream, taking in every aspect of her youthful face.

He reached out, wishing he could remember the touch of her cheek or the feel of her hand running through his hair when he was stressed or upset.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more and I’m sorry I failed to understand.” He apologized, bringing his fingers to where her cheek was and held it there, closing his eyes.

It was then he could almost imagine what it felt like to touch her again, but it was short lived.

“You could only do what you were capable of doing. You gave her something special and she gave you something. It’s not about failing.” Harry said, watching the older man just continue to stand there and take in the memory of his old girlfriend.

“You never truly forgot about her, Louis. She is a part of you and always will be.”

Louis opened his eyes and glanced one more time at the frozen look of desperate helplessness of Eleanor’s face, dropping his hand back down to his side.

“We need to go.” Harry said, touching his shoulder.

Louis jumped away.

“No bloody way. You’re about to show me my son and what happened. I don’t need to see that. Take me home. Please?” He begged the ghost, his heart feeling like it was about to stop beating at any second.

Harry sensed his upcoming panic and sighed, grabbing his wrist and hurrying through to a few years later.

Louis was twenty-two at the time and his son Alexander had just turned two. He remembered this day like it was yesterday.

“You met Jessie six months after Eleanor’s passing. Your brain took a vacation from your head, because you were shagging anything with a hole and tow legs. Low and behold, you met Jessie – though not before realizing she was a complete psychopath.” Harry innated.

“Yeah, psychopath double dipped in chocolate covered crazy with an extra scoop of manic on the side.” Louis summed up hatefully.

He still blamed Jessie even still after all these years – which was logical considering she did murder their son.

“You had been battling for sole custody, but because of the nature of your job, the judge thought that awarding Alexander to Jessie was more beneficial to the child and you had joint custody rights to visits whenever you wanted.” Harry continued on.

“SHE MURDERED MY SON!” Louis exploded, going to walk away, though Harry was able to ghost him before he could. “LET ME GO!”

“Not until you’ve calmed down.” Harry told him, glad that ghosting him actually worked this time.

“She murdered him and then took her own life because heaven fricken forbid she actually stay around and take responsibility for something! When I picked him up from her house, nothing was amiss. He was fine, but then I noticed he started getting sick throughout the few hours I had him. He was lethargic and throwing up, so I took him to the children’s hospital straight away. That stupid bloody git of a nurse demanded I fill out paperwork while they looked him over, I finish and am waiting for three hours and then she comes out and has the nerve to accuse me of poisoning my own flesh and blood!” Louis ranted, pulling his body desperately to the side to move, but Harry was not unghosting him until he was calm again, because the moment he did he knew Louis would bolt.

“Ethylene glycol was the poison that showed up on toxicology.” Harry said, seeing it in his vision.

“Antifreeze,” Louis spat, simplifying it and stilled, glaring hatefully at Harry. “The bitch put it in his juice. You know the worst part? I never got to say goodbye to him either. I was arrested! WITHOUT PROOF! Then when I was released nearly eight hours later I went back, only for them to tell me my son died. I was then informed by police when I walked into a crime scene at Jessie’s house that I found out that she had also died,” Louis smirked in a sarcastically sadistic way, continuing with his breath coming out heavier.

“Hers was a bit more permanent, but hey, according to her; if you aren’t sure you’re going to get it right the first time, make sure you do it in a way that won’t fail. Her report indicated that she had drank not only half a bottle of antifreeze to make sure the job got done; she also swallowed a full bottle of sleeping pills and half a bottle of tricyclic, an antidepressant medication she had been on.”

Harry saw the images flash over of the woman Louis was talking about. She was beautiful. Slim, with a gothic style pale complexion, dark eyes and raven hair.

“She was exotic.” Harry said, the world around them growing dark, the focus of the children’s hospital and the lights that lit up the outside decorations of the cheerful looking building with the few scattered benches around the grounds so visitors could sit outside for some fresh air if they needed.

“She was a psychotic cu – “Louis started, only for Harry to shush him harshly.

“Maybe so, but her problems are over, Alexander is at peace and you…” Harry trailed off, seeming to feel a bit of sympathy for the man.

“Mine is bloody excellent, mate. Thanks for your concern. NOW LET ME THE FORK GO!” Louis yelled, tugging his body again.

Harry lifted his hand and waved it, releasing Louis from his spot.

Louis had to catch himself from falling, but he knew where he was, it was after he had gone back to the hospital the third time, lost and alone did he find he was not truly so.

“This was the worst Christmas ever. Worse than when I found out my father died or when Eleanor left me. There is no feeling like losing a child. There is no greater loss.” Louis said, feeling his eyes grow puffy.

“There is.” Harry disagreed simply, gesturing for him to follow.

“Yeah? What’s that? Nothing matters when everything feels stacked against you.”

Harry stopped and pointed to the far end of the grounds.

“The greatest loss of all, is forgetting what pain is. You know what it feels like, but you can’t feel it. You know what it is, but can’t express it. To feel emotion is to be human, Louis and when you lose that, you lost everything.” Harry murmured, seeing a lone figure hunched over herself, sobs of anguish echoing around the courtyard.

The newly turned twenty-two-year-old Louis heard it from the door he had just stepped out of to have a cigarette. His solemn curiosity carried him toward the sound.

“You remember this.” Harry smiled warmly, recalling the coffee shop worker from earlier.

Louis nodded and walked over the same time his younger self did.

He watched the young man sit by the crying woman, extending his own painful introduction.

“Hi, I’m Louis.” He murmured sadly, his hand cautiously reaching over to settle on her shoulder.

He didn’t expect the woman to fling herself at him, a complete stranger and cry into his shoulder. If anything, he expected to be slapped for touching her, even if it was meant as a gesture of comfort.

It took a moment for him to realize that she had scars and bruises littering her bare arms and legs. She was only outside in a sleeveless short dress.

Louis shrugged off his long brown coat and fit it over her cold skin, it was supposed to snow soon – one of England’s snow falls in a decade.

“I’m sorry, luv. Whatever it is, I’m so very sorry.” Louis cooed softly in her ear as a means of comfort, but in the end, he simply let his tired actions speak for him by wrapping his arms around the woman and returning the much-needed hug.

Harry patted Louis’s shoulder.

“You don’t know this, but you saved Zayla that night.”

Louis didn’t respond, he kept staring at how far Zayla Gretchen had come, how she overcame her loss and how he was, deep down at least, proud she was able to do it.

“It’s not too late. Every wound heals with time, some just take longer than others. You were human and deep down, you still are, whether you know or believe it or not.” Harry finished, clapping his hand on Louis’s shoulder a few times, holding out his arm.

“Come on, I can only manipulate two hours into one human hour and my time is just about up.” Harry smiled.

Louis didn’t move though, he just looked down at himself, wondering when he changed, wondering what happened and wondering how he got so bitter.

“Ashlee. After Simon’s funeral, you went back to Ashlee’s place and saw her cheating on you with someone else. That didn’t help.” Harry responded to his silent questions.

“It had started before that, I just can’t really remember. I know the next few years consisted of me working my ass off to get Simon’s job. To feel I was as good as him, that I had to be him. He wasn’t this bad though, was he?” Louis turned to Harry, placing his hand on his arm.

Harry just simply smiled.

“He was worse in other ways.” Harry replied, waving his hand up.

Louis nodded and when he blinked again, he was alone on his leather couch.

He looked around.

“Harry?” Louis called, standing up and listening.

Silence was the only thing that greeted him back.

With a sigh, he went to the kitchen and saw that he had five minutes to spare before Zayn was scheduled to arrive.

“I’m getting a beer.” He decided, walking to the kitchen and opening the fridge door, letting out a high-pitched scream when the light came on.

Zayn’s head was on the middle shelf, his eyes open. A cig hanging from his lips with the biggest smile on his face. The rest of his body was nowhere to be found.

“Hope you don’t mind, I wanted to get a head of schedule. Get it? A head?” Zayn laughed.

Louis slammed the freezer door closed again and ran for the main door, throwing it open and taking off down the street, Zayn’s laughter still echoed in the fridge and the blaring alarm sounding from when Louis just left and not disarming it beforehand.

“Some people can’t take a joke. Hey, Harry? I might have gone a tiny bit too far; can you get Louis back here for me while I pull myself together?” Zayn called into his head, hearing Harry let a less than pleased response back.

Zayn just rolled his eyes and popped himself together, silencing the alarm on the door.


	11. Chapter 11: Mittens and Trouble

“You’re calm now, right? Cause we got to get this show on the road. I have an hour and I can’t exactly manipulate the past like Harry. That’s his own special gift, he crammed your one hour to two and as much as I would love to torture you like that, we’re living in the present, baby. Time to get it going.” Zayn dismissed, snapping his finger to allow Louis to talk again.

“SCREW YOU!” Louis finished his long four-minute rant just as Zayn had unghosted his speech.

“No thanks, now, Harry’s a bit exhausted and needs to rest. He ghosted you and I can take it off, but we have to transport. You good for that?” Zayn asked, sitting beside Louis and balling his hand into a fist.

“Go get sucked, mate. I am not going ANYWHERE WITH YOU!” Louis tried to emphasize his point by learning forward.

Zayn smirked.

“I so love when they say that, okay – don’t flinch.” Zayn warned, his balled fist clipping Louis across the face harshly.

For a moment, all Louis saw was stars, his body freely falling and when he opened his eyes a hand was sticking down into his vision to help him from the thin carpet.

“What did you do to me?!” Louis groaned, the tips of his fingers grasping the ground to lift himself up.

“I played a game called unghost the moron. You were the moron.” Zayn said with a cocky smirk, hauling Louis from the ground when he made no attempt to take his hand.

Louis growled and jerked away from the world war ghost with ease.

“Where the fork are we?” Louis demanded, seeing the white stained carpet, the bleak crumbling walls and the old antique looking coffee table and couch directly in front of a fireplace with a small wooden beam above it with nothing on the surface.

Directly behind the couch sat a small six foot Christmas tree with sparse branches. It was nearly bald and the look of it was pathetic. Especially with the handmade angel and a half working string of lights that were humming. It actually made Louis cringe.

“This would be Liam’s residence, mate. Charming, huh?” Zayn smiled at the orange tabby cat that laid curled up on the couch to the side of them.

“If you enjoy tripping back to 1972, which is where this furniture looks like it was from – sure, it would be ace. This is 2026 however and hardly appropriate.” Louis looked around, his eyes stopping at the fluffy fur-ball on the couch.

Zayn let out a sigh and gestured to a hall that was directly to their left.

“Leave it to you to miss the point entirely. Follow me, I want to show you something that I think you should see.” Zayn said, moving to follow the short path to the end of the small hallway, opening one of three doors.

It was Liam’s door.

Louis followed in, seeing his assistant in a pair of boxers and wife beater.

“You wanted to show me Liam half naked? Thanks, like I don’t have enough traumatizing images to work through, let’s add invasion of privacy to the list!” Louis exploded, realizing he’d never get that image out of his head.

Zayn ignored him.

“No. I wanted to show you what you’ve caused. It is now 1AM and he’s up fretting work in a few hours. I bet you never took into account that he has his children and no one to watch them. I bet you also didn’t realize or care that his son has a deformity or that any precious time he gets with his kids is limited as he is constantly battling his one ex for visitation rights for his boy and this Christmas he overspent on those trips for his wives so he got to see his kids, did you?” Zayn asked almost accusingly, pulling Louis into the small room further.

“He is trying to figure out how to tell his kids why there won’t be anything under the tree or why they’re going to have to settle on frozen pizza. You garnished his wages for two hundred, he’s also trying to figure out how he’s going to make rent come first of January for however long you decide to garnish them.”

Louis rolled his eyes.

“Between Allure and him, that stunt set me back about thirty-five hundred in wasted costs. I wasn’t going to charge him the complete thirty-five. How is their incompetence my fault?” Louis defended himself, watching Liam pace back and forth in front of his single bed. There were no sheets and the pillow looked like it went flat long ago.

Zayn snorted.

“It’s not all completely your fault, but what I’m saying is clearly not getting through, mate. So, let me break this down: You are an asshole.”

Louis folded his arms across his chest.

“I never denied that I wasn’t.”

Zayn gestured to Liam.

“Clearly you see nothing wrong with this picture then?” Zayn asked rhetorically with an eye roll.

Louis shrugged.

“Never said that I didn’t.”

Zayn was becoming a little bit annoyed with Louis’s quips.

“So, are you planning on doing something about it?”

Louis just smirked and said nothing, turning his back to walk out, but Zayn grabbed him by the arm.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Nobody likes a wiseass. I need to know what you’re taking in from this. Unlike Harry, I can only read body language, yours is throwing me off a loop and because I have no clue what you’re plans are, telling me would save me some guess time and you another punch to the face.” Zayn smiled, an underlying threat ringing in the tone he used.

“Fine; I plan on doing stuff all. It is not my responsibility to help Liam out of the hole he’s dug himself in. I didn’t marry two selfish women, I didn’t fall in love with Envy and Sloth and I most certainly did not choose to lay down with Thing One and Thing Two. His mistake, his fix.” Louis growled and walked out of the room to the small living room.

When he arrived back into the room, he noticed the cat seemed to be staring directly at him.

It was a cute little miniature devil looking creature if Louis thought so himself. All white except the little black paws that it had.

If Louis was an animal person, he’d even go as far as to say it was a unique looking cat, but since Louis wasn’t he simply hissed at it mockingly, figuring the animal couldn’t see or hear him anyhow.

He was surprised to find the cat let out a low growl and the tip of its ears went back to lay flat against its head.

“Noooooononononono.”

Louis became a little bit alarmed, considering the animal was pointedly looking at him and saying…no?

“Her name is mittens. Liam got her from the rescue shelter about three years ago,” Zayn said from beside Louis, a wide smirk playing on his lips. “I see you two have met and like an animal with good instinct, she knows an arse when she sees one.”

Louis rolled his eyes.

“So, that cat can see us? Who else? Not Liam I hope, that would be pretty awkward to have to explain.”

Zayn scoffed.

“No, otherwise he would have been wondering what his boss was doing in his room at one o’clock in the morning. Come on Lou, I know you’re smarter than what people give you credit for. We are visible to children and animals. So, try and behave yourself around both, hm?” Zayn chastised, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth to create a clicking sound. “Hey Mittens, you’re a good kitty, aren’t you?”

“Nooononu.” The cat licked her lips together, watching the two strangers with caution.

Louis just chuckled.

“Well we know she has excellent taste in instinct. Guess that makes us both arsehats.” Louis decided, leaning on the side of the beam above the fireplace.

“Louis, don’t!’ Zayn warned.

The warning came too late. Louis’s weight combined with the loose screws was a disaster looking for someplace to happen – and sadly for Louis, it happened to be in Liam’s apartment.

Louis flinched at the horrendous crash, but that was nothing. The sound of the falling object spooked Mittens up the small Christmas tree in the corner.

Which coincidentally also crashed to the floor.

“Hey, I’m off the hook! The cat did it!” Louis exclaimed with a smirk.

Zayn was less than pleased, though the comical part was the cat yowling underneath the thorny branches.

“Oh nononono.” Mittens could be heard yowling.

“You owe Liam a new fireplace shelf and Mittens a therapist for all the trauma you’re causing her. It was not the cat’s fault you were being careless.” Zayn chastised.

“Mittens needs a therapist? What about me?! Do you have any idea what I’ve seen tonight?!” Louis exclaimed, his head jerking to where the door opened down the hall.

Zayn waved him off.

“Meh, I’ll schedule you both a joint appointment and then you can both bitch about your hard lives. Back to the situation. You realize that Liam needs help, you see the living conditions of his flat and yet feel nothing? You have no empathy because his two wives keep his kids from him simply because he fell in love with the wrong two people? Mate, I think you should look in the mirror. He’s helped you out when you were in a tight spot – shame you’re so conceited that you can’t see past the edge of your nose.” Zayn huffed, watching Liam come out into the room.

“Mittens Guinevere Payne! Naughty cat!” Liam exclaimed, seeing the broken fireplace shelf and the knocked over tree.

“He has a full name for his cat? Okay, maybe I will help him out. I’ll call London’s psychiatric hospital first thing in the morning to get him evaluated.” Louis nodded, stepping away from the fireplace and walking toward the tree.

“What are you doing?” Zayn asked, seeing Louis about to pick the tree up that fell over so the cat wasn’t trapped underneath it anymore.

“Helping Mittens out of a predicament.” Louis replied.

“Nooooooonononononoooooononono.” Mittens howled, struggling to get away from the ghostly human who caused her distress.

“Leave the cat alone, Louis. Let Liam do it.” Zayn warned, watching him lift the tree slightly.

“Why?” Louis asked, seeing the cat skedaddle from underneath it and head towards Liam, using her claws to climb him and attach herself to the top of his head.

“MOTHER OF GOD! GET OFF! GET OFF! OUCH, THE CLAWS, MITTENS – THE CLAWS! NAUGHTY CAT!” Liam screamed.

“NOOOOONONnononono.” Mittens glowered, her stare dead set on Louis as her nails only tightened into the temples of Liam’s face.

“That’s why.” Zayn finished lamely.

“Here, let me try to help.” Louis insisted, stepping forward.

“No!” Zayn exclaimed, grabbing his arm and eyeing the cat.

He took a step back, forcing Louis to follow him.

“It’s okay kitty, we come in peace. Well, I do. Louis is another story entirely.” Zayn accused.

The cat settled down some and Liam was able to get the cat on the couch after dislodging her claws from his head.

“The hell’s a matter with you, Mittens? You look like you’ve seen a bloody ghost!” Liam yelled at the cat, backing off when it kept its intense stare behind him with Louis.

Louis stared back with a cocky smirk.

“Hiss, motherfu –“

“Nooonononono –“ The cat warned, backing away with her ears back.

“Leave her alone, Louis!” Zayn snapped and dragged him down the hall towards the opposite door across from Liam’s.

When they made it in, the girl was still sound asleep – the little boy however, was wide awake.

At first, he just stared at the door, but then a large smile started spreading over his face.

“Is that you, Santa?” The little boy asked, throwing the torn blankets from him.

Zayn and Louis paused just inside the door having hoped the kids stayed asleep, but it may just work in Zayn’s favor after all.

He lit up a cigarette and took a puff.

“Nah, just his elves. Except Louis here, he’s playing a Grinch this year.” Zayn jested, snapping his fingers and making the small bedside light come on.

Louis noticed almost right away the unnatural angle of the little boy’s foot.

“Grinch? Papa says there’s no such thing.” The boy disagreed.

Zayn took another puff, stamping the cig onto the floor – even if there wasn’t any need and took another one out of his pack, lighting that one up and repeating his earlier actions.

Louis just watched him curiously.

Zayn shrugged.

“Imagine being dead since the first world war and unable to relief your burning desire for a cigarette. They’re right here, but no amount of them in the world will stop the craving. Sucks, I got one puff in before that cannonball took off my head. One puff, bam, no more head.” Zayn sighed.

Both Louis and the little boy just stared at him.

Louis with a ‘really? In front of the kid?’ and the little boy’s was just plain confused.

“I thought you said you was elves?” Jake inquired suspiciously.

“We’re not elves. Zayn here is a pain in the ass ghost and I’m your dad’s boss. Meaning whatever I say to him goes and whatever I say to you will be obeyed, yeah?” Louis decided to step up and try to get him back to sleep before Liam walked in and found the boy talking to himself.

Jake nodded and glanced at his half-sister Ember.

“My dad talks about you all the time. Louis Tomlinson, right? What are you doing in my room?” The little boy was quick to work out who the older gentlemen was.

“Zayn here thinks I need a lesson in humanitarianism. I disagree, what do you think?” Louis chuckled, walking over to the boy’s bed and sitting at the edge of it.

Zayn didn’t say anything for once, he figured the boy was good enough on his own without the ghost’s help.

“Dad says you and him were friends since boarding school when you were real young. He says you keep him in an exciting job and he never complains, but if you are here – that means you’re going to help him, right? Cause he needs a lot.” The little boy pouted slightly, leaning forward and covering himself up again to remain warm.

Louis gave Zayn a look, to which the ghost only smirked.

“I hate you, I hope you know that,” Louis muttered, turning his attention back to the boy – figuring he would entertain the notion of listening. “Besides psychiatric evaluation for naming a cat Mittens Guinevere – what pray tell does your dad need help with? “

“Mum says dad doesn’t make enough for her to pay for the medical for my operations, so she says I’ll just need to go without. England has some good doctors, but the ones I need are privately licensed and won’t help my dad out. He says he’s needed a raise, but because he maxed out his accounts and says you’re mad at him, he is afraid to ask for more money, so I’m asking. I don’t want anything this year, I just want to see my dad happy. I wish I could see him more as well, but he says you need him more.” Jake explained, his yellow golden hues staring wondrously up at Louis.

Louis forced out a small smile.

“Um – I’ll have to check my schedule; your dad might be due for shorter hours.” Louis agreed, receiving a disapproving look from Zayn.

He realized how it sounded.

“Not like that.” He assured the ghost, scratching his head.

Jake shrugged.

“Mum probably won’t let him see me anyhow. She wasn’t going to till he offered to take me and pay for a two-week trip to Bali. When Ember’s mum heard, she was upset. So, dad managed a payment for her too. I know he’s stressed so I don’t expect anything this year, but Ember really wanted this life like doll, I dunno what it’s called, but if I had a wish, I’d wish for dad and her to get what they really wanted this year.”

The sentiment of it melted Louis’s heart slightly.

“Well, you father most certainly needs a new car.” Louis chuckled, remembering how bad the brakes were.

“He needs a new life.” Jake yawned, settling back down to lay on the bed. His weight making the mattress creak.

Louis didn’t disagree there.

With a flick of his hand, Zayn turned the light out again just in time for the door to open.

Louis could see Liam’s silhouette through the shadows of the small plain room and Jake was already dozing back into dreamland.

He heard his assistant sigh in relief, glad the noise hadn’t woken his children up. He finally got the cat calmed down to where it wasn’t cowering in the corner.

That just left him to complete his nightly rituals and get what little sleep he could before he had to get up and go to work.

When the door closed again and the darkness bathed over them, the only sound to emit was Louis’s soft breathing.

“How’s that for explanation? I figure he could give you a better insight than I ever could.” Zayn said, taking Louis’s wrist and tugging him back into the hall.

With the lights completely dark, save for Liam’s room, it was hard to see where he was walking, although he had a pretty good idea when Zayn suddenly stopped and they were back in the living room.

“Be careful where you –

MMRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLL!” Mittens screeched when Louis accidently stepped on her tail.

“Step.” Zayn sighed, seeing the cat run from under Louis’s feet and back up the tree.

Louis jumped back with a yell the same time the tree came crashing down again.

“Holy forking Kim Jong-un!” Louis swore, his heart beating out of his chest.

“You owe that cat a lifetime supply of tuna. Christ, remind me never to cross you on a bad day, mate.” Zayn muttered, going to the Christmas tree and lifting it slightly so the cat could get out.

Louis saw a fierce glare glowing out from the darkness, her stare looking directly on him.

“Nooooonononono.”

“You already done gone being way passed my shit list. Also, I think that cat is trying to tell us something, like: get the f out of my flat. I say we listen. Because if looks could kill, I’d be deader than you right now.” Louis insisted.

Zayn shrugged.

“I think that may be best, but I have something to show you first.” Zayn said, walking over to where the fallen fireplace shelf laid and bent down, picking up a small photo frame.

Zayn lit another cigarette and lit a portion of the small room with it.

Louis took the object from Zayn carefully and observed it, letting his mouth drop.

“I ordered him to delete all evidence of that day from existence. That was embarrassing!” Louis insisted, glancing down at him and Liam with those hideous elf costumes on.

Although in his opinion, Louis looked the better of the two.

“Read the back of the frame.” Zayn insisted with a smirk.

Louis flipped it to the back, seeing the messy description.

“’The best day of my life.’ Well, glad he thought so,” Louis muttered, reading the bottom. “’The best mate a bloke could have.’” Louis finished, a few drops of guilt dripping into his chest.

“You can’t erase the past and he sticks around because of the history you two have shared. You changed his life and in some ways, he’s changed yours, but you need to tread carefully, Louis. He might not always be there to catch you. Sometimes, we can only take getting walked on so far. If you want a friendship with him, don’t continue to push him away. If you don’t, then give him the damn decency to find a better job so he can care for his kids!” Zayn yelled, his voice getting louder with each word he spoke.

Louis flinched, feeling the slight course of anger etched in the ghost’s words.

“Can I have one of your cigs, mate? I could use one.” Louis dismissed his ranting, grabbing the lit cancer stick from the ghost’s mouth and taking a puff, coughing a second later. “Stab me with a bloody pig sack! Oh my God, what brand is this?! It tastes like decaying flesh and dirt!”

Zayn cackled, watching Louis hand him back his fag and lean over to exhale the foulness from his chest.

“I been dead over a hundred years, mate. I was buried with them so I’m sure you’re just tasting the remanence from when I was dumped in a mass grave. Enjoy.” He saluted, inhaling again.

To him, it still tasted like menthol, but he didn’t exactly warn Louis as he probably should have.

Oh well, it’s not like Louis will die from it. Technically, the cigarette is still in ghostly realm and Louis was just tasting what they would if he had decided to steal a cig off a one-hundred-year-old buried corpse…which in fairness, Louis didn’t ask before grabbing a puff, so serves him right.

“NOOOOOnonononono.” Mittens howled, wishing the intruders left. They were making her upset.

Liam yelled for the cat to be quiet so that he could sleep, but Louis was going to take the whole cake, because truthfully, the cat was annoying him.

“Hey, Mittens? You fancy becoming my next fur coat? I ordered a cousin of yours offline and he is damn warm.” Louis antagonized, watching the cat’s ears point back further.

“Mmmmhhhrrrrrrllllllll.”

Zayn just grabbed his wrist and gave him a look of disbelief.

“Really, Louis? You’re talking smack to a cat right now? I believe Liam isn’t the only one who needs evaluated. Come on, we need to go.” He went to drag Louis out, but Louis jerked his arm back challenging the cat.

“Come on bitch, you don’t got anything to say to that?

A huge hiss left Mitten’s snout and before Louis could blink, he was being pursued and that left him and Zayn running straight into the kitchen – away from the door.

Now, Zayn could transport, but he would be leaving Louis behind and he didn’t think Harry would appreciate him losing Louis – even if it was accidental…and as much as he would love to.

“Open the fridge!” Zayn ordered, but remembered he could do it.

So, with a wave of his hand the fridge flew open in front of Louis, knocking him on his back as Zayn then levitated the cat and threw her onto one of the shelves, closing the door.

“NOOOOOOONONONONONO!”

This was followed by what sounded like the top three shelves in the fridge collapsing on one another.

“Is the cat okay?” Zayn asked, helping Louis up from the ground. “The next time I tell you to leave the cat alone, you damn well bloody leave the cat alone!”

Louis ignored him and knocked on the fridge door.

“Noooono.”

“Mittens is fine.” Louis assured, opening the door a little to see eyes the color of hell flames.

He shut the door again.

“Yup, I’d say perfectly peachy. Shall we go?” Louis asked enthusiastically, hoping to get out of the flat without causing any more damage, but if you asked – it was the cat’s fault.

“We can’t just leave her in there, Louis. Let me put her in with Liam.” Zayn insisted.

Louis moved back from the door and let Zayn do his thing.

When the ghost opened the door again, he gently levitated the cat and began to spin it around.

“NOOOOONONONONONONONONONONOOOONONONON!”

Louis watched with an amused smirk, noticing Mittens did not like that one bit.

“It’s a kitty piñata, I’ll go get the bat!” Louis chuckled, though he was curious what Zayn was doing.

“I’m spinning her around until she gets dizzy, when I put her down she’ll be trying to walk and won’t be so aggressive. We used to do similar experiments back in training.” Zayn explained, walking with the cat to Liam’s door and gently opening it to levitate the cat on the floor before shutting it again.

A few seconds later the cat threw up, followed by a tired groan from Liam.

The man could not catch a break, even when he was away from Louis.

“Can we go now? Liam sounds like he’s had enough fun for one night.” Louis smiled, heading toward the main door.

Zayn followed after him, having a faster way to travel.

“Louis?” Zayn called, smirking when the other bloke turned his head.

With no hesitation, Zayn balled his hand into a fist and bunched Louis square in the jaw like last time.

“That was for Mittens, not come on. Allure is next.” With that, he bent down where Louis had dropped and picked his head up, slamming it onto the ground.

When Louis opened his eyes, not only was he staring up into the black eyes of the endless abyss of misery, he was also realizing that they most certainly weren’t normal – even for a ghost.

The black eyes blinked and then its mouth seemed to spread into a long and mischievous grin.

“Ooh, a late-night snack that delivers, you shouldn’t have.” It said, leaning forward so Louis could get the whole picture and man, was it ugly.

Zayn jerked Louis from the ground and stood protectively in front of him.

“Go make trouble elsewhere, mate. I have a schedule to keep.” Zayn snapped, realizing he should have made sure the demon wasn’t around when he decided to visit Allure.

“Who is this bloke?” Louis demanded, eyeing the teenaged looking demon.

“I’m Ned. Ned Norman and Louis, it is such a pleasure to finally eat you.” The demon, Ned, said with growing sharp teeth that would make Louis go running.

“Any chance of getting Harry on your ghost mobile channel? I know who to call when I have a ghost problem, but who do ghosts call when they have a demon problem?” Louis asked, backing away from where Ned stood next to Allure, who sat unblinking on the bench with her stare wordlessly to the ground like a hypnotized zombie.

Zayn chose to ignore Louis’s stupid query and instead instruct him to do something useful for a change.

“Louis? I need you to run and find someone, when you find them – punch them. It will break the invisible shield around you, I’ll come find you when I’ve settled this.” Zayn balled his hands into fists and reached out to strike the demon.

Louis wasted no time in backing away and running like a naked chicken down the street.

He called Harry’s name, figuring maybe he would somehow hear Louis and come to his distress, or if anything, help Zayn out.

“I always seem to attract the wrong kinds of things in my life, I never thought one of those would be a demon.” Louis muttered, trying to find someone in the streets, but since it was Christmas morning – well, Louis had a better chance at seeing the Easter Bunny pissed off his rabbit tail.


End file.
